Obese women should start watching their weight, or else they'll be paying the price: financial, health, emotional burdens.
Obesity has become an epidemic and it’s putting both health and wallet at risk – particularly for women. Doctors have been asserting that obese people incur higher medical bills but there is more to this than meets the eye. A recently released study proved that obese women have higher costs as compared to men.
Researchers from the George Washington University have looked into costs of being overweight. In this study, they have also included different factors such as employee sick days, lost productivity, and the need for extra gasoline as well. From the study, they’ve found that a woman’s annual cost of being obese is $4,879 while an obese man costs $2,646.
Released last Tuesday, the study used and analyzed previous published studies, and also concluded that the above-mentioned costs are way far more than the cost of just being overweight – which amounts to $524 for women and $432 for men. So, why are there differences between the sexes? Why the difference between the sexes? Studies suggest larger women earn less than skinnier women, while wages don’t differ when men pack on the pounds. That was a big surprise, said study co-author and health policy professor Christine Ferguson.
Furthermore, obesity has also been linked to earlier death. Funded by the manufacturers of an obesity surgery known as gastric banding, has also confirmed that women’s annual obesity costs up to $8,365, and men’s to $6,518. The numbers are in line with other research and are not surprising, said Dr. Kevin Schulman, a professor of medicine and health economist at Duke University who wasn’t involved in the new report.
For the past three decades, childhood obesity has tripled in number while two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese. Sadly, almost 18 percent of adolescents now are obese. In turn, more and more Americans will be suffering from various obesity-related diseases, such as diabetes, heart disease, etc.
Emphasizing on factors dietary changes over the past 30 years and physical environments that discourage physical activity, Schulman said, “Looking at the price tag may help policymakers weigh the value of spending to prevent and fight obesity.” He believes efforts should be geared towards solving the problems of obesity. Furthermore, he asserts that the childhood obesity epidemic is a problem that’s putting the economy in greater danger. We need solutions such as healthier eating in schools and to educate our children on the benefits of healthy eating and exercise and the dangers that lurk with their mass consumption of junk food. Our schools are serving up to many unhealthy lunch choices and in need of healthy vending machines to help curb this rising epidemic.
“We’re paying a very high price as a society for obesity, and why don’t we think about it as a problem of enormous magnitude to our economy?” he asks. “We’re creating obesity and we need to do a man-on-the-moon effort to solve this before those poor kids in elementary school become diabetic middle-aged people.” All the more, he believes that younger children will be greatly affected if nothing drastic is done.
Last year, a major study was also published. From the study, they found out that medical spending averages $1,400 more a year for the obese than normal-weight people. However, the report published last Tuesday, also included factors related to an obese person’s health problems such as sick days and disability claims.
Additionally, the study also found something unusual. Based on the researchers’ calculations, almost 1 billion additional gallons of gasoline (3.8 billion liters) are being used every year due to increases in car passengers’ weight since 1960. From health, cost of living, medical bills to gasoline, obesity has indeed made a lot of things worse!
