The Cost of Obesity

The Cost of Obesity

By Mary Kearl

The cost of obesity* extends far beyond basic expenses for related health problems. From paying for extra plane seats to spending more on gas and even sometimes having to shell out extra money for insurance if you're an obese worker (that's what overweight Alabama state workers may soon have to do), being overweight carries an increasingly hefty price tag. Learn about the mental and physical prices of being obese.

*Note: "Obesity" is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. BMI is calculated using a person's weight and height. "Overweight" is defined as a BMI between 25 and 29.9. A healthy or normal BMI is one that falls within the 18 to 24.9 range.

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Higher Gas Prices

One socioeconomic implication of obesity is that it reduces passenger-vehicle fuel economy, according to "The Economic Impact of Obesity on Automobile Fuel Consumption," a study from The Engineering Economist. The study found that since 1988, at least 272 million additional gallons of fuel are consumed annually due to the increase in weight of the average American. Moreover, according to the study, for every pound added to the national average weight, an additional 39 million gallons of fuel are used per year. Another study from 2007 found that raising the cost of gasoline by $1 would reduce obesity in the U.S. by 15 percent after three years.

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Added Insurance Fees

In August 2008, Alabama announced a new program aimed at getting its 37,527 state employees into shape. Beginning in 2010, the workers will be given free health screenings. If the results show obesity or serious obesity-related problems, such as elevated blood pressure, cholesterol or glucose, employees have one year to see a doctor at no cost, enroll in a wellness program or improve their health on their own. Follow-up screenings will be administered, and, starting in January 2011, anyone with a BMI of 35 or higher who is not making progress toward managing these health concerns or lowering his/her BMI will have to pay $25 a month for insurance that is currently free, according to an AP report.

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Lower Education Levels for Girls

A July 2007 study found that obese girls were less likely to enter college after high school than their non-obese peers, especially if they attended schools where obesity was uncommon. The study published in Sociology of Education found that obese teenagers, who may have had fewer socioeconomic resources than the non-obese, had significantly lower levels of self-esteem, and higher levels of class failures and truancy than their peers. Negative treatment from peers in the form of bullying and ostracism based on weight, as well as internalized feelings of failure to meet cultural body ideals may also predispose obese youth to psychological risks that could factor into the low college-enrollment rates. Obese boys, however, did not differ from their peers in terms of college matriculation rates. The study's authors conclude that obesity "is indeed an academic risk factor that is on par with other demographic, behavioral and cognitive factors that have received so much attention."

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Difficulty Finding Work and Holding Low-Paying Jobs

Studies have found that when a resumé is accompanied by a picture or video of an overweight person, the applicant is rated more negatively and is less likely to be hired compared with average-weight candidates, according to the Obesity Society. A 2008 study found that men who looked at a series of images of people said they'd be more likely to consider hiring the non-obese people pictured. Overweight employees may also be more likely to be characterized by "negative stereotypes including being lazy, sloppy, less competent, lacking in self-discipline, disagreeable, less conscientious, and poor role models," reports the Obesity Society. Overweight employees also tend to be paid less for the same jobs as non-obese peers, are more likely to have lower paying jobs and are less likely to get promoted than thin people with the same qualifications.

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More Health Care Costs

Obese men spent nearly four times as much on prescription medication than their non-obese peers -- which amounted to an additional expense of almost $700 annually in a 2004 study presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, according to reports from the American Diabetes Association. Obese people have also been found to have higher odds of hospitalization and more frequent doctor visits than their non-obese peers, according to a 2004, from the Archives of Internal Medicine.

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It Costs the Country, Too

The annual cost of the overweight and obese population in the U.S. has been estimated to total $122.9 billion, which includes $64.1 billion in direct costs and $58.8 billion in indirect costs, according to Obesity in America, a Web collaboration from the Endocrine Society and the Hormone Foundation. Direct costs relate to preventive, diagnostic and treatment services for obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, hypertension and diabetes, says Obesity in America. Indirect costs are those that result from wages lost by people unable to work due to disability or illness associated with obesity, as well as the value of potential earnings lost by early deaths. Additionally, a 2008 study found that obesity costs U.S. companies as much as $45 billion a year.

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More Sick Days

Both female and male obese employees may be more likely to take sick days and, as a result, cost their companies more money, according to a December 2007 study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. The authors found that the costs associated with obesity-related absenteeism total $4.3 billion annually in the United States.

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Pricier Plane Tickets

During the 1990s, Americans had an average weight gain of 10 pounds. In 2000, this extra weight caused airlines to spend $275 million to pay for the additional 350 million gallons of fuel needed to carry the excess weight of American passengers, according to an AP report which cites a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Some airlines, perhaps as result, have put guidelines in place requiring or recommending that customers who cannot fit in one seat have to pay for a second.

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Additional Health Burdens

If current weight-gain trends continue, most adults in the U.S. will be overweight or obese by 2030, with accompanying costs reaching as high as $956.9 billion for their health care, according to a study published in a 2008 issue of Obesity. Overweight and obese individuals have higher odds of developing hypertension, osteoarthritis, high cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, as well as some cancers, including breast and colon, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

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