Obesity is associated with an increase in pharmaceutical expenses among university employees.
OBJECTIVE
To examine costs associated with obesity in an employee population and factors associated with increased costs.


METHODS
We used data from the Physical Activity and Life Style (PALS) study, a randomized prospective design evaluating three interventions to increase physical activity among physically inactive nonfaculty university employees (n = 454). The primary exposure variable, obesity (measured by body mass index), was obtained from the in-person baseline survey. Covariates were obtained from the baseline survey and included demographic characteristics and health status. Data from the baseline survey was linked with administrative data to determine pharmaceutical, inpatient, outpatient, and total health care costs for three years. Average monthly expenditures for obese and nonobese individuals were compared using t-tests and a two-part multivariate regression model adjusted for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and health behaviors.


RESULTS
Although in-patient and outpatient expenses were not associated with obesity, pharmaceutical expenditures were $408 or 87.2% higher per year ($468 versus $876) for obese individuals than for nonobese individuals, which reflected poorer health behaviors and health status of obese adults.


CONCLUSIONS
Awareness of the costs associated with obesity among employees can stimulate employers to make the investment in providing employer-sponsored wellness and health improvement programs to address obesity.
Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Julie A
JA
Gazmararian
Department of Economics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
David
D
Frisvold
Department of Health Policy and Management, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Kun
K
Zhang
Emory Global Health Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
Jeffrey P
JP
Koplan
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006264:Health Benefit Plans, Employee; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000191:economics*; D016730:Program Development; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D014495:Universities