Obesity in America: How Much Is It Costing You?
By: Maggie O'Brien, PT, DPT
Obesity is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30.0 or greater, or roughly 30 pounds overweight, according to the National Institutes of Health. Three times more Americans are obese now than 50 years ago. In the early 1960s, obesity rates in America were in the low double digits. Starting in the mid-70s, rates of obesity started to climb and have been steadily increasing ever since. As of 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports the prevalence of obesity at nearly 40 percent. While this figure does not include adult Americans who are merely overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9), when adults are included, the number climbs to a staggering 71.6 percent. So, what are all these extra pounds costing us? A lot, as it turns out.
Impact on Healthcare Spending
By far, the biggest price tag belongs to direct medical costs. According to the CDC, the estimated annual cost of treating obesity-rated illnesses is a mind-blowing $190.2 billion. Over 20 percent of annual healthcare spending goes to treatment of illnesses that are directly and indirectly attributable to obesity; Diabetes, Heart Disease, Hypertension, Arthritis and Stroke, just to name a few. The burden of paying for this lands on the shoulders of all Americans. A recent study estimates the lifetime cost of obesity at $92,235 per person when compared with the costs associated with a person of normal weight. That figure was reached by adding up all direct medical costs as well as the indirect costs associated with obesity. So, what are some of those costs?
Job Productivity
The Society of Actuaries estimates that U.S. employers lose over $164 billion in productivity annually due to obesity-related issues with employees. Presenteeism, which is defined as working sick or injured, affects the time needed to complete tasks and the ability to perform the physical demands of one’s job. Obese workers experienced a 4.2 percent health-related loss in productivity compared to non-obese employees.
Absenteeism
Obesity is associated with a significant increase in days absent from work; 1.1 to 1.7 extra days missed annually compared to normal weight employees. Obesity-attributable absenteeism among American workers costs the nation an estimated $8.65 billion per year.
Worker’s Compensation Claims and Disability
According to a Duke University study published by the Archives of Internal Medicine, obese workers are twice as likely to be injured on the job than their co-workers of “normal” body weight, had seven times higher medical costs from those claims and had 13 times more lost work days due to work injury/illness than non-obese employees.
Premature Mortality
Defined as a measure of unfulfilled life expectancy, the financial impact of early death as a result of obesity is difficult to quantify. Of the five leading “lifestyle” choices that lead to premature death, obesity is second only to smoking.
Increased Transportation Costs
Blame it on the laws of physics — cars and airplanes use more fuel as a result of obesity. Cars burn 938 million gallons of gasoline per year more than they would if Americans weighed what they did in 1960. At the current cost of jet fuel, U.S. airlines spend over $1 billion per year due to overweight passengers.
Intangible Costs
The financial burden is heavy (no pun intended), but no less real are the social and emotional side effects of obesity, including job and educational discrimination, lower quality of life and greater susceptibility to depression and isolation.
How Can ATI Help?
Physical Therapists can help people who are obese to be more physically active and fit by removing barriers to exercise. A physical therapist can help you:
Reduce pain. Your physical therapist will design a personalized exercise program to help you safely perform activities with the least amount of pain. Just getting up and moving can help relieve pain!
Improve cardiovascular fitness. Your physical therapist will design a "heart-healthy" aerobic exercise program for you, to elevate your body's metabolism and burn more calories. Physical therapists help people, including adults and children with disabilities, find fun, aerobic activities they can perform at their own comfort level.
Improve strength. Your physical therapist will teach you exercises to address any muscle weakness you may have, or to improve your overall muscle strength. Building strength in muscles can help burn calories, make daily activities easier and relieve joint pain. Gentle and low-impact forms of weight training performed with exercise bands can help avoid joint stress.
Improve movement. Your physical therapist will choose specific activities and treatments to help restore normal movement of stiff joints. These might begin with "passive" motions that the physical therapist performs for you, and progress to active exercises that you do yourself.
Improve flexibility and posture. Your physical therapist will determine if any of your major muscles are tight and teach you how to gently stretch them. Your physical therapist will also assess your posture and teach you exercises to improve your ability to maintain proper posture. Good posture can make difficult activities easier and less painful, and even improve your breathing.
Increase activity levels. Your physical therapist will discuss your activity goals with you and design your exercise program to address your individual needs and goals. Your physical therapist will also help you reach those goals in the safest, fastest and most effective way possible.
An Ounce of Prevention
To help prevent obesity or prevent weight gain after weight loss, your physical therapist will likely advise you to:
- Get moving! Include physical activities you enjoy into your daily routine so you can avoid returning to a sedentary lifestyle.
- Aoid watching TV more than two hours per day.
- Don’t use a computer longer than one hour without an exercise break.
- Use your body as much as you can to walk, climb stairs, garden, wash dishes by hand and other daily activities that keep you moving.
- Educate yourself about nutrition, and especially about portion sizes, to help you understand and control your calorie intake.
- Exercise daily for at least 30 minutes (adults) or one hour (children). This also applies to disabled individuals as well as those suffering from most medical conditions. And remember, always check with your physical therapist or a healthcare professional before beginning any exercise program.
Are you interested in learning the best and safest way to start an exercise program?
If you are concerned that your current weight might be affecting your health and your ability to exercise, contact your doctor or your nearest ATI Physical Therapy clinic to determine the next course of action and see what exercise programs can benefit you.