An economic assessment of the impact of obesity on medical care utilisation and costs in Australia

Abstract

Obesity has been established as an independent risk factor for a number of medical conditions including type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and coronary heart disease. According to the Australasian Society for the Study of Obesity, it has been estimated that approximately 40 per cent of the Australian population are considered to be either overweight or obese. Obese individuals face an increased risk of both mortality and morbidity as a result of their excess weight. In addition, obese individuals are also adversely affected in their marital, educational, and economic prospects. The costs associated with obesity are substantial. This thesis examines the association between three types of medical care utilisation (doctor visits, other health care professional visits, and hospital visits) and the level of obesity (as measured by the body mass index) for a sample of the Australian population aged 20 to 64. Data from the 1995 National Health Survey (NHS) were used to estimate these relationships. Results from this study provide evidence that medical care utilisation (MCU) is associated with obesity (BMI) and that moderate reduction in body sizes would result in substantial cost savings.