The economic burden of obesity in Italy: a cost-of-illness study

Margherita d’Errico (), Milena Pavlova and Federico Spandonaro
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Margherita d’Errico: CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht University

The European Journal of Health Economics, 2022, vol. 23, issue 2, No 3, 177-192

Abstract: Abstract Background Obesity is a complex health disorder that significantly increases the risk of several chronic diseases, and it has been associated with a 5–20-year decrease in life expectancy. The prevalence of obesity is increasing steadily worldwide and Italy follows this trend with an increase of almost 30% in the adult obese population in the last 3 decades. Previous studies estimated that 2–4% of the total health expenditure in Europe is attributed to obesity and it is projected to double by 2050. Currently, there is a lack of sufficient knowledge on the burden of obesity in Italy and most relevant estimates are derived from international studies. The aim of this study is to estimate the direct and indirect costs of obesity in Italy, taking 2020 as the reference year. Methods Based on data collected from the literature, a quantitative cost-of-illness (COI) study was performed from a societal perspective focussing on the adult obese population (Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2) in Italy. Results The study indicated that the total costs attributable to obesity in Italy amounted to €13.34 billion in 2020 (95% credible interval: €8.99 billion

Keywords: Obesity; Cardiovascular diseases (CVD); Diabetes; Cancer; Cost analysis; Cost-of-illness (COI) (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A12 B23 C01 H51 I12 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10198-021-01358-1

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