title: Health care and lost productivity costs of overweight and obesity in New Zealand.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the costs of health care and lost productivity attributable to overweight and obesity in New Zealand (NZ) in 2006.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prevalence-based approach to costing was used in which costs were calculated for all cases of disease in the year 2006. Population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated based on the relative risks obtained from large cohort studies and the prevalence of overweight and obesity. For each disease, the PAF was multiplied by the total health care cost. The costs of lost productivity associated with premature mortality were estimated using both the Human Capital approach (HCA) and Friction Cost approach (FCA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Health care costs attributable to overweight and obesity were estimated to be NZ$686m or 4.5% of New Zealand's total health care expenditure in 2006. The costs of lost productivity using the FCA were estimated to be NZ$98m and NZ$225m using the HCA. The combined costs of health care and lost productivity using the FCA were $784m and $911m using the HCA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The cost burden of overweight and obesity in NZ is considerable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Policies and interventions are urgently needed to reduce the prevalence of obesity thereby decreasing these substantial costs.
authors.affiliation: Deakin Health Economics, Population Health Strategic Research Centre, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia. anita.lal@deakin.edu.au
authors.forename: Anita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lal
authors.forename: Marj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moodie
authors.forename: Toni
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ashton
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Siahpush
authors.forename: Boyd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Swinburn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D055815:Young Adult