[acb-diabetics] What costs more in the medical field, obesity or smoking?

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

Test Your Knowledge Answer #622


 


 
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Correct answer: Obesity

Obesity adds more to health care costs than smoking does, reports a study in
the March Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official
publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental
Medicine (ACOEM).

James P. Moriarty, MSc, and colleagues of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.,
analyzed the incremental (additional) costs of smoking and obesity among
more than 30,000 Mayo Clinic employees and retirees. All had continuous
health insurance coverage between 2001 and 2007.

Both obesity and smoking were associated with excess costs for health care.
Compared to nonsmokers, average health costs were $1,275 higher for smokers.
The incremental costs associated with obesity were even higher: $1,850 more
than for normal-weight individuals. For those with morbid obesity, the
excess costs were up to $5,500 per year.

The additional costs associated with obesity appeared lower after adjustment
for other accompanying health problems (co morbidity). "This may lead to
underestimation of the true incremental costs, since obesity is a risk
factor for developing chronic conditions," Moriarty and colleagues write.

Smoking and obesity place a growing strain on an already stretched
healthcare system. Employers are evaluating wellness programs -- such as
quit-smoking and fitness programs -- in an attempt to lower costs by
reducing health risk factors.

Moriarty and coauthors conclude, "Simultaneous estimates of incremental
costs of smoking and obesity show that these factors appear to act as
independent multiplicative factors." Their study provides new insights into
the long-term costs of obesity and smoking, showing that both risk factors
lead to persistently higher health costs throughout a seven-year follow-up
period.

Copyright C 2012 Diabetes In Control, Inc. 

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