title: Lifetime productivity losses associated with obesity status in early adulthood: a population-based study of Swedish men.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Obesity is a well-known risk factor for sick leave, disability pension and premature death. Obesity is therefore presumably related to increased productivity losses.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to estimate the lifetime productivity losses to society associated with obesity status.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was based on a 38-year follow-up of a nationwide cohort of 45 920 Swedish men performing mandatory military conscription tests at age 18.7 ± 0.5 years. Body mass index (BMI) based on measured height and weight at the time of military conscription tests was used to define underweight (<18.5 kg/m(2)), normal weight (18.5-24.9 kg/m(2)), overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m(2)) and obesity (≥30.0 kg/m(2)). Data on sick leave, disability pension and premature death were retrieved from national registers. The calculations were adjusted for socioeconomic index, smoking and muscular strength.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using the human capital approach, the lifetime productivity losses were calculated as 55.6 (95% CI 50.7, 62.0) × €1000 and 55.6 (95% CI 50.9, 61.4) × €1000 for underweight and normal weight, respectively, and 72.6 (95% CI 66.3, 80.7) × €1000 and 95.4 (95% CI 89.0, 102.9) × €1000 for overweight and obesity, respectively. If using the friction cost method instead, the estimated productivity losses were reduced by about 80%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obesity is associated with almost twice as high productivity losses to society as for normal weight over a lifetime. These costs are important to include in health economic analyses of obesity intervention programmes in order to ensure an effective allocation of resources from a societal perspective.
authors: Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. kristian.neovius@ki.se
authors: Kristian
authors: K
authors: Neovius
authors: Clas
authors: C
authors: Rehnberg
authors: Finn
authors: F
authors: Rasmussen
authors: Martin
authors: M
authors: Neovius
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D018868:Insurance, Disability / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D061213:Mortality, Premature; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics*; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D012042:Registries; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012907:Smoking; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult