title: Prevalence and trends in obesity among aged and disabled U.S. Medicare beneficiaries, 1997-2002.
abstract: Given Medicare's recent national coverage decision on bariatric surgery, as well as potential coverage expansions for other obesity-related treatments, data on obesity in the Medicare population have great relevance. Using nationally representative data, we estimate that between 1997 and 2002, the prevalence of obesity in the Medicare population increased by 5.6 percentage points, or about 2.7 million beneficiaries. By 2002, 21.4 percent of aged beneficiaries and 39.3 percent of disabled beneficiaries were obese, compared with 16.4 percent and 32.5 percent, respectively, in 1997. Using 2002 data, we estimate that three million beneficiaries would be eligible for bariatric surgery coverage under current Medicare policy.
authors.affiliation: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA. jdoshi@mail.med.upenn.edu
authors.forename: Jalpa A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Doshi
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Polsky
authors.forename: Virginia W
authors.initials: VW
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D050110:Bariatric Surgery / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015897:Comorbidity; D017281:Cost of Illness; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004608:Eligibility Determination / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000639:trends; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage; D006278:Medicare / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D011157:Population Dynamics; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology