Obesity and its comorbidities are directly linked to overall healthcare costs in Finland, according to a newly-published study by the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS).
The research found that annual healthcare costs for an obese person were approximately 2,665 euros. Meanwhile, regarding others, including overweight individuals, per-capita, annual healthcare costs stood at around 1,799 euros. Medication costs were also higher among obese people, according to the findings.
"The survey was conducted to help policy makers see the seriousness of the obesity problem and to direct resources towards obesity prevention and treatment. We certainly do not blame obese people, because obesity is not a choice, but a complex biological process," said Kirsi Pietiläinen, HUS' chief physician.
Obese people were also 90 percent more likely to suffer from metabolic disorders, the study found. Such health care costs were around 2,775 euros per person annually.
Health care costs associated with obesity are therefore significant, primarily due to the additional morbidity it causes. Meanwhile, psychiatric disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular diseases and cancer were the most common comorbidities.
The cross-sectional survey included 5,587 randomly-selected adults in Finland. The obese group had a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30, and an average of around 53 years of age. The control group had BMIs below 30 and an average age of 49 years.
Data on health care visits, hospitalisations, diagnoses and prescription drug purchases were obtained from the registers of the National Institute of Health and Welfare (THL) and the National Public Health Institute of Finland (KTL).