MHA Press Room

Report estimates disease, cost impact of reducing obesity

The cost of treating preventable obesity-related diseases could increase by $48 billion to $66 billion a year if state obesity rates continue on their current track through 2030, according to a report released Sept. 18 by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. If states could reduce the average Body Mass Index of residents by just 5% by 2030, the report estimates every state could help thousands or millions of people avoid obesity-related diseases while saving billions of dollars in health care costs.

For a six-foot-tall person weighing 200 pounds, a 5% reduction in BMI would mean losing about 10 pounds. “This study shows us two futures for America’s health,” said RWJF President and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, M.D. “At every level of government, we must pursue policies that preserve health, prevent disease and reduce health care costs.”

Task force recommends obesity screening for all adults

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force on June 26 recommended primary care clinicians screen all adults for obesity, and refer adults with a body mass index of 30 or more to a comprehensive weight loss/behavior management program. The panel found evidence that intensive programs with 12-26 sessions in the first year can help people manage their weight.

In a separate recommendation, the panel found only small benefits to initiating counseling for the general adult population to promote a healthy diet and physical activity to prevent cardiovascular disease. “Clinicians may choose to selectively counsel patients rather than incorporate counseling into the care of all adults in the general population,” the panel said.

CDC: Adult, childhood obesity rates unchanged in 2009-10

About 36% of adults and 17% of children were obese in 2009-2010, the same as in 2007-2008, according to a report released Jan. 17 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That represents more than 78 million adults and 12.5 million children.

Obesity rates have increased for men and boys over the past decade, but not for women and girls. Obesity rates for men and women are now the same, while boys are more likely to be obese than girls.

Obesity is higher among adolescents than preschool-age children. Women aged 60 and older are more likely to be obese than younger women. The data are from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

In related news, HBO announced Jan. 13 it will partner with the CDC, Institute of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Kaiser Permanente and Michael & Susan Dell Foundation on “The Weight of the Nation,” an HBO series and public health campaign debuting in May. The initiative will include a nationwide community outreach campaign and IOM report recommending strategies and actions to accelerate progress in curbing obesity.

CDC reports rise in state obesity rates

Adult obesity rates reached 30% or more in 12 states last year, up from nine states in 2009 and none in 2000, according to data released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and West Virginia reported adult obesity rates of 30% or more in 2010, and no state reported a rate of less than 20%, based on the state-based Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey.

"We must continue our efforts to reverse this epidemic," said CDC Director Thomas Frieden, M.D., noting that heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer are obesity-related.

CBO: Health care spending rising faster for obese adults

Health care spending per adult grew substantially in all weight categories between 1987 and 2007, but the rate of growth was much more rapid among the obese, according to an analysis released recently by the Congressional Budget Office. Spending per capita for obese adults exceeded spending for adults of normal weight by about 8% in 1987 and by about 38% in 2007.

If recent trends continue, the adult obesity rate would rise from 28% in 2007 to 37% in 2020, and per capita spending on health care for adults would increase by about 3% more than it would if the obesity rate were unchanged, CBO estimates.

Report: Adult obesity climbs in 28 states

Adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year, according to a report released June 29 by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Thirty-eight states have rates above 25%, and eight above 30%: Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.

African Americans and Latinos have higher rates than whites, and adults earning less than $15,000 per year have higher rates than those earning $50,000 or more. More than one-third of children ages 10-17 are obese or overweight.

The report calls for federal support for obesity- and disease-prevention programs through the health reform law’s Prevention and Public Health Fund, among other actions.

Study: Childhood obesity, chronic health conditions on rise

The rate of chronic health conditions among U.S. children increased from 12.8% in 1994 to 26.6% in 2006, according to a study in the Feb. 17 Journal of the American Medical Association. Researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and Harvard School of Public Health in Boston examined the prevalence of chronic conditions such as obesity, asthma and behavior/learning problems in three consecutive groups of children, each over a six-year period.

More than 51% of the third group of 8 to 14 year olds reported a chronic condition at some point during the six-year study period, up from 28% in the first group. “Chronic conditions in childhood are common and dynamic, underscoring the benefits of continuous, comprehensive health services for all children to adjust treatment of chronic conditions, promote remission, and prevent onset of new conditions,” the study concludes.

[ via AHA News Now ]

CDC releases county-level obesity, diabetes estimates

Wide sections of the Southeast, Appalachia, and some tribal lands in the West and Northern Plains have the nation’s highest rates of obesity and diabetes, according to estimates released Nov. 19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In many counties in those regions, obesity rates exceed 30% and diabetes rates 10%, according to the agency’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

CDC said the data can help public health agencies, health care providers and policymakers focus prevention efforts on high-risk regions. Nationally, the agency estimates that 26% of adults are obese and 8% of residents have diabetes.

More children hospitalized with obesity

The number of children hospitalized with a diagnosis of obesity nearly doubled between 1999 and 2005, to 42,429, according to a study published online July 9 by Health Affairs. Over the period, obesity-related hospitalizations increased 8.8% per year among 2-5 year olds, 10.4% per year among 6-11 year olds, and 11.4% per year among adolescents.

The total cost of obesity-related hospitalizations for children increased from $125.9 million in 2001 to $237.6 million in 2005, measured in 2005 dollars. The data are from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Nationwide Inpatient Sample.

Adult obesity, related health care costs climbing

Spending on health care for obese U.S. adults rose by 82% between 2001 and 2006, to $303 billion, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Over the same period, the number of obese adults increased by nearly 11 million, to 58.9 million people. The findings are from the agency’s Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.

In related news, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the proportion of obese U.S. adults rose by 0.5 percentage point in 2008 to 26.1%. “As obesity increases among all age groups, we are seeing chronic diseases in much younger adults compared to a few decades ago," said William Dietz, M.D., director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity. "For example, we now see young adults who suffer from heart disease risk factors and other conditions such as type 2 diabetes that were unheard of in the past."