Lifetime health and economic benefits of weight loss among obese persons

Gerry Oster, D. Thompson, J. Edelsberg, A.P. Bird and G.A. Colditz

American Journal of Public Health, 1999, vol. 89, issue 10, 1536-1542

Abstract: Objectives. This study estimated the lifetime health and economic benefits of sustained modest weight loss among obese persons. Methods. We developed a dynamic model of the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and the risks and costs of 5 obesity-related diseases: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD), and stroke. We then calculated the lifetime health and economic benefits of sustained 10% reduction in body weight for men and women aged 35 to 64 years with mild, moderate, and severe obesity. Results. Depending on age, gender, and initial BMI, a sustained 10% weight loss would (1) reduce the expected number of years of life with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and type 2 diabetes by 1.2 to 2.9, 0.3 to 0.8, and 0.5 to 1.7, respectively; (2) reduce the expected lifetime incidence of CHD and stroke by 12 to 38 cases per 1000 and 1 to 13 cases per 1000, respectively; (3) increase life expectancy by 2 to 7 months; and (4) reduce expected lifetime medical care costs of these 5 disease by $2200 to $5300. Conclusions. Sustained modest weight loss among obese persons would yield substantial health and economic benefits.

Date: 1999
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:1999:89:10:1536-1542_0

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().