Costs of Obesity
December 2000
American Obesity Association
This study estimated the direct costs of obesity to healthcare and found that the cost of all treatments for obese adults (defined as having a body mass index greater than 30) would be $238 billion in 1999, which includes $102 billion for 15 diseases that the project team specifically identified as associated co-morbidities. The study also found that approximately 75% of the direct costs were attributed to five diseases: Type II Diabetes, Heart Disease, Stroke, Hypertension, and Arthritis. The American Obesity Association sponsored the study, and the results were presented at the first annual Obesity Conference that took place in Washington, DC on September 15th, 1999.
The study presentation was revised September 13, 2000 to include slides on the cost of obesity in children