Obesity and Bariatric Surgery in Australia: Future Projection of Supply and Demand, and Costs

Abstract

Introduction The prevalence of obesity is increasing in developed countries, including Australia. There is evidence that bariatric surgery is effective in losing weight and reducing risk of chronic diseases. However, access to bariatric surgery remains limited in the public health sector. Method We modelled population-based estimates of the likely numbers of people eligible for bariatric surgery in Australia using the recent Australian New Zealand Metabolic and Obesity Surgery Society (ANZMOSS) framework and estimated the potential costs that would be incurred from primary and subsequent reoperations in both public and private sector. Results The annual number of newly eligible patients is expected to rise, and hence the gap in demand is increasing relative to current baseline supply. If a 5-year program to treat all currently eligible patients was implemented, the maximum yearly demand is projected to be 341,343 primary surgeries, more than eight times the existing capacity of public and private sector, which can only offer 41,534 surgeries/year. A nine-fold increase is expected if we treat currently eligible patients over a 5-year program and all newly eligible patients as they occur each year. Conclusion Our results highlighted the currently highly skewed distribution of bariatric surgeries between the private and public sectors. Improving access would bring substantial benefits to many Australians, given the demonstrated cost-effectiveness and cost savings. This requires a major increase in resourcing for publicly-funded access to bariatric surgery in the first instance. A national review of priorities and resourcing for all modes of obesity treatment is required in Australia. Graphical abstract

Popularity of Surgical and Pharmacological Obesity Treatment Methods Searched by Google Users: the Retrospective Analysis of Google Trends Statistics in 2004–2022

“…Bariatric surgery is the most definite, radical weight loss method and the most effective [ 18 ]. Over the last two decades, the number of bariatric procedures has increased [ 19 ], and this trend is expected to continue in the coming years [ 20 ]. Therefore, surgical methods were numerically more popular among Google users than others analyzed categories of obesity treatment methods.…”

Up-to-date literature review and issues of sedation during digestive endoscopy.

“…The number and burdens of obesity are steadily increasing worldwide. Accordingly, the number of endoscopic procedures is also increasing [ 104 , 105 ]. However, data regarding sedation practices for endoscopic procedures in obese individuals are not adequate to make conclusions about the safety and efficacy of these approaches.…”

EXIST: EXamining rIsk of excesS adiposiTy—Machine learning to predict obesity‐related complications

“…Finally, bariatric surgical procedures are an effective, albeit invasive, means of reducing excess weight and have been shown to reduce the incidence of a broad range of obesity‐related complications. 2 , 3 On the other hand, many of these interventions are costly, 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 and may also carry a risk of adverse events. 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 Therefore, being able to identify patients who are likely to reap the greatest benefits from the intervention could help direct healthcare resources.…”