Obestity and Healthcare Cost

The obese people are growing in US and sent more on medical cost.

The prevalence of obesity rose 37% between 1998 and 2006, and medical costs climbed to about 9.1% of all U.S. medical costs, the researchers said.

Obese people spent 42% more than people of normal weight on medical costs in 2006, a difference of $1,429, the study found.

Wall Street Journal July 28, 2009

Research shows that high calorie foods largely contribute to obestiy problem.

The causes of American obesity are not fully understood, but they involve lifestyle choices we make every day, as well as our system of food delivery. Research by the Harvard economists David Cutler, Ed Glaeser and Jesse Shapiro concludes that America’s growing obesity problem is largely attributable to our economy’s ability to supply high-calorie foods cheaply. Lower prices increase food consumption, sometimes beyond the point of optimal health.

New York Times Nov 4,2009

Here is the interesting point. From OECD data presented in the O'Neill study,the percentages of the male population with a body-mass index of 30 or more (female obesity rates are similar):

Japan 2.8
France 9.8
Germany 14.4
Canada 17.0
U.K. 22.7
U.S. 31.1

O'Neill study.

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