Health care costs 25% to 100% greater for people who are obese

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Thursday, June 09, 2005 3:40 am Email this article
Health care costs are about 25 percent greater for someone who is moderately obese, that is have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 to 35, compared to someone who is normal weight; about 50 percent greater for someone with severe obesity, that is having a BMI of 35 to 40; and 100 percent greater -- that is twice as great -- for someone with extreme obesity with a BMI greater than 40 according to paper from the RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, California.

REFERENCE

Andreyeva T, Sturm R, Ringel J. Moderate and severe obesity have large differences in health care costs. Obes Res. 2004 Dec, 12(12):1936-43.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

T. Andreyeva
RAND Graduate School
1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90401, USA
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