Scope of the Obesity Epidemic
Obesity rates have increased dramatically in the last 25 years. Currently, 130 million US adults are overweight or obese.2,3. Furthermore, approximately 15 million individuals meet the criteria for morbid obesity.2 A New England Journal of Medicine study found that patients with BMI ≥ 40 kg/m2 were two-to three-times more likely to die than normal-weight individuals over the study period of 14 years.60
Click to see the change in obesity prevalence in the US from 1985 to 2007:
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The obesity epidemic has been associated with several chronic diseases, including, but not limited to, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and certain types of cancer.54
As a result, obesity has significantly increased healthcare costs. Compared with normal weight individuals, healthcare costs for the obese are 36% higher and medications costs are 77% higher.58
A recent study on the association between obesity and productivity loss found that work productivity losses due to obesity (Obese I through III) accounts for $42.8 billion annually in the US full-time employed population.93