Overweight and obesity have a dramatic impact on the health of employees and the organizational bottom line. The costs associated with overweight and obesity are astounding.

General Statistics

• Nearly 65 percent of adults in the United States are overweight or obese. ( 2003 Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans , Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics)  

• Obesity is a greater trigger for health problems and health care spending than are smoking or drinking: Individuals who are obese have 30 percent to 50 percent more chronic medical problems than those who smoke or drink heavily. (“The Effects of Obesity, Smoking, and Drinking on Medical Problems and Costs,” Journal of Health Affairs , March/April 2002)  

Business Impact  

• The total cost of obesity to U.S companies is estimated at $13 billion per year: $8 billion in health care costs; $2.4 billion in paid sick leave, $1.8 billion in life insurance and $1 billion in disability insurance. (Prevention Makes Common Cents: Estimated Economic Costs of Obesity to U.S. Businesses, Department of Health and Human Services, 2003 )

• Obesity accounts for approximately 9.1 percent of total annual medical care expenditures. (“National Medical Spending Attributable to Overweight and Obesity: How Much and Who’s Paying?” Health Affairs, Web Exclusive, 2003 ).

• Obesity is associated with 30 million lost work days, 239 million restricted activity days, 90 million bed days and 63 million physician visits. (“Current Estimates of the Economic Costs of Obesity in the United States,” Obesity Research, 1998)

• Obese individuals have higher health care utilization rates:
• 36% increase in inpatient and outpatient spending
• 77% increase in medication spending
• 48% increase in health care expenditures over $5,000
• 11% increase in annual health care costs
  (“Health Risks and Behavior: The Impact on Medical Costs,” Control Data
  Corporation, 1987)