BackgroundObesity is a growing public health challenge worldwide with significant health and economic impacts. However, much of what is known about the economic impacts of obesity comes from high-income countries and studies are not readily comparable due to methodological differences. Our objective is to demonstrate a method for estimating current and future national economic impacts of obesity and apply it across a sample of heterogeneous contexts globally.MethodsWe estimated economic impacts of overweight and obesity for eight countries using a cost-of-illness approach. Direct and indirect costs of obesity from 2019 to 2060 were estimated from a societal perspective as well as the effect of two hypothetical scenarios of obesity prevalence projections. Country-specific data were sourced from published studies and global databases.ResultsIn per capita terms, costs of obesity in 2019 ranged from US$17 in India to US$940 in Australia. These economic costs are comparable to 1.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) on average across the eight countries, ranging from 0.8% of GDP in India to 2.4% in Saudi Arabia. By 2060, with no significant changes to the status quo, the economic impacts from obesity are projected to grow to 3.6% of GDP on average ranging from 2.4% of GDP in Spain to 4.9% of GDP in Thailand. Reducing obesity prevalence by 5% from projected levels or keeping it at 2019 levels will translate into an average annual reduction of 5.2% and 13.2% in economic costs, respectively, between 2020 and 2060 across the eight countries.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate that the economic impacts of obesity are substantial across countries, irrespective of economic or geographical context and will increase over time if current trends continue. These findings strongly point to the need for advocacy to increase awareness of the societal impacts of obesity, and for policy actions to address the systemic roots of obesity.
Worldwide, the aging population, globalization,
rapid urbanization, and population growth have
fundamentally changed disease patterns. Noncommunicable
diseases (NCDs), of which cardiovascular
disease (CVD) accounts for nearly half, have overtaken
communicable diseases as the world’s major disease burden.
CVD remains the No. 1 global cause of death, accounting for
17.3 million deaths per year, a number that is expected to
grow to 23.6 million by 2030. Increasingly, the populations
affected are those in low- and middle-income countries,
where 80% of these deaths occur, usually at younger ages
than in higher-income countries, and where the human and
financial resources to address them are most limited (1).
The epidemiological transition occurring is exacerbated by
the lack of vital investment in sustainable health policies to
address and curtail the risk factors associated with CVD and
NCDs. Recognizing the profound mismatch between the need
for investment in the prevention and control of CVD at the
global and national level and the actual resources allocated,
the international CVD community, under the umbrella of the
World Heart Federation, joined the NCD community to call
for a United Nations (UN) High-level Meeting on Noncommunicable
Diseases, held in September 2011. At this
meeting, heads of state signed a Political Declaration that
committed governments to the development of 4 specific
measures to address the NCD burden in a specific timeline:
1) Recommendations for a global monitoring framework that
included NCD targets to be completed by the end of 2012;
2) development of a plan for an effective multisector partnership
by the end of 2012; 3) national NCD plans by 2013; and
4) a comprehensive review to evaluate progress, to take place
in 2014
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