Obesity, Health Services Use, and Health Care Costs Among Members of a Health Maintenance Organization

Abstract

OBESITY CLEARLY has been shown to be an independent risk factor for a variety of diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, colon cancer, and gallbladder disease.^1,2 A substantial fraction of adults are at increased risk for morbidity and mortality as a result of being above a healthy weight.^3,4 Total direct costs of obesity-associated diseases have been estimated to be $45.8 billion in 1990, approximately 6.8% of all health care expenditures in the United States, with increased annual costs of care at each level of increased body mass index (BMI).^5-7