Being Obese Isn’t Cheap!

It seems that being obese (a body mass index, or BMI, over 30) is not only a health risk, but also likely to be a drain on your wallet.  For instance, the obese are likely to have higher medical bills.  But there’s more, according to a study sponsored by

Allergan, Inc., who are one of the manufacturers of gastric banding, a type of obesity surgery.  The research, which was done at George Washington University, resulted in a report entitled “A Heavy Burden: The Individual Costs of Being Overweight and Obese in the United States”.

The main findings included the following:

• Obesity costs the average woman $4,879 and man $2,646 annually
• Being overweight (BMI 25 – 29.9) costs women $524 and men $432 annually
• If the value of lost life due to premature mortality is added, the costs are $8,365 for women and $6,518 for men.

Why the difference between the sexes?  It seems that skinnier women earn more than obese women, whereas men’s wages aren’t influenced by their body weight. 

In a few instances the additional costs are covered by the government (e.g. Medicare) or the employer (e.g. sick leave, disability affecting productivity).  The latter may influence the employability of obese individuals (although it shouldn’t).  Perhaps the main message is that obesity is preceded by overweight, and that’s the time to take action to reverse the unhealthy trend.  It’s much harder to reverse obesity – in spite of new surgical procedures – than it is to achieve it.