ESTIMATED ECONOMIC COSTS OF OBESITY TO US BUSINESS

Objective. To Estimate the economic costs of obesity to U.S. business. Methods. Standard epidemiologic methods for risk attribution and tech niques for ascertaining cost of illness were used to estimate obesity- attributable expenditures on selected employee benefits, including hea lth, life, and disability insurance and paid sick leave by private-sec tor firms in the U.S. in 1994. Data were obtained from a variety of se condary sources, including the National Health Interview Survey, repor ts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and other federal agencies, and the published literature. Attention was focused on employees between the ages of 25 and 64 years who were classified according to body mass index (BMI) as ''nonobese'' (BMI < 25 Kg/m(2)), ''mildly obese'' (BMI = 25-28.9 kg/m(2)), or ''moderately to severely obese'' (BMI greater than or equal to 29 kg/m(2)). Results. The cost of obesity to U.S. bus iness in 1994 was estimated to total $12.7 billion including $2.6 bill ion as a result of mild obesity and $10.1 billion due to moderate to s evere obesity. Health insurance expenditures constituted $7.7 billion of the total amount, representing 43% of all spending by U.S. business on, coronary heart disease, hypertension type 2 diabetes, hypercholes terolemia, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis of the Knee, an d endometrial cancer Obesity-attributable business expenditures on pai d sick leave, life insurance, and disability insurance amounted to $2. 4 billion, $1.8 billion, and $800 million, respectively. Conclusions. The health-related economic cost of obesity, to U.S. business is subst antial representing approximately 5% of total medical care costs. Furt her research is needed to determine the cost-effectiveness of worksite weight management programs and of other efforts to reduce the prevale nce of obesity in the U.S. workforce.