Mixed
Obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) significantly increases annual health care resource utilization (HCRU) and causes substantial premature mortality, resulting in billions of pounds in lifetime economic loss and quality-adjusted life year (QALY) deficits.
Obesity imposes a massive financial and health burden on society, costing billions in healthcare resources and causing significant premature death. While losing weight reduces annual healthcare costs, the benefit is largely negated by the increased life expectancy of formerly obese individuals, meaning the total lifetime cost remains high. Public health policy must account for this lifetime cost, not just short-term annual savings.
Obesity has a significant impact on all-cause mortality rate and overall health care resource use (HCRU)... The expected increases in annual HCRU because of obesity, when considered over a lifetime, are being mitigated by the increased mortality of obese individuals.
Why this rating
Large-scale population modeling using national data (45.4 million adults), though it is an observational economic model rather than a randomized controlled trial.
Source
Counting the lifetime cost of obesity: Analysis based on national <scp>England</scp> data
Adrian Heald et al. · Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism · 2024
DOI 10.1111/dom.15447
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