Obesity associated with chronic health conditions equivalent to 20 years of aging

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Thursday, July 29, 2010 10:49 am Email this article
"Obesity has roughly the same association with chronic health conditions as does twenty years' aging; this greatly exceeds the associations of smoking or problem drinking," according to a recent study from UCLA and the well-respected RAND corporation. Obesity associated with 71% to 175% greater health care costs than smoking or drinking

“Obesity is associated with a 36 percent increase in inpatient and outpatient spending and a 77 percent increase in medications, compared with a 21 percent increase in inpatient and outpatient spending and a 28 percent increase in medications for current smokers and smaller effects for problem drinkers.”

REFERENCE

Sturm R. The effects of obesity, smoking, and drinking on medical problems and costs. obesity outranks both smoking and drinking in its deleterious effects on health and health costs. Health Aff (Millwood). 2002 Mar-Apr, 21(2):245-53.

AUTHOR’S CONTACT INFORMATION

Economic and Policy Research Program
UCLA/RAND Managed Care Center for Psychiatric Disorders
Los Angeles CA, USA

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