Economic costs of obesity to self-insured employers.
OBJECTIVE
To quantify the direct and indirect costs of obesity within a cohort of commercially insured employees in the United States.


METHODS
Health plan claims, self-reported health risk assessment, and productivity data (Thomson MarketScan) from 2003 to 2005 were used to identify employees. Two-part regression models were used to compare body mass index (BMI) groups to estimate the incremental direct and indirect costs, conditional on expenditure, associated with elevated BMI.


RESULTS
Regression-adjusted incremental direct medical costs associated with being overweight, obese, and severely obese were estimated to be $147.11, $712.34, and $1977.43, respectively. Adjusted incremental indirect costs due to paid absence associated with being overweight, obese, and severely obese were estimated at $1403.81, $1511.24, and $1414.09, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Overall adjusted direct and indirect costs were higher for workers with elevated BMI relative to those of normal weight.
Durden
Emily D
ED
Thomson Reuters, Cambridge, MA, USA. emily.durden@thomson.com
Huse
Dan
D
Ben-Joseph
Rami
R
Chu
Bong-Chul
BC
D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee / Q000191:economics*; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000191:economics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States