DON'T PAY THE PRICE OF THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC

Employers look to tighten their belts on health care costs as employees are loosening theirs to make room for a sizable weight problem in American society. Now’s not the time to take a “weight-and-see” attitude. America’s growing weight problem is already affecting corporate bottom lines with double-digit increases in health care premiums to cover an ever-expanding menu of chronic health concerns – many attributable to weight issues. The rate of obesity has increased so dramatically in the past two decades that some are calling it an epidemic. The Surgeon General refers to America’s escalating girth as “the terror within."

Obesity has more negative health consequences than smoking, drinking or poverty, according to a RAND study in Health Affairs. Consequences include the development of secondary (and costly) health conditions such as diabetes, some cancers and heart disease.

Health insurance expenditures and lost productivity due to absenteeism, diminished morale and even depression have cost American businesses significantly in recent years. Cost-savvy companies offering “wellness” programs are seeing the payoff from their efforts, in fact, The New York Times reported that Xerox Corporation saw their savings in medical costs were five times the cost of their wellness programs (New York Times, September 6, 1999).

STATISTICS:

• Nearly 2 out of 3 (64.5%) American adults are considered overweight or obese.¹
• Obese employees are at a higher risk for developing those diseases that cost employers more – high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Obesity has also been linked to many different types of cancers, including breast, prostate and colon cancer.²
• Overweight and physical inactivity account for more than 300,000 premature deaths each year in the U.S.¹
• 35% of all cancer deaths annually could have been prevented with a combination of healthier eating habits, regular physical activity and weight control.³
• Preventable illnesses make up approximately 70% of the burden of illness and the associated cost.⁴
• 39 million lost work days, 239 million restricted-activity days, 90 million bed rest days, and 63 million physician office visits per year are linked to obesity.⁵
• Healthcare costs have tripled since 1998, and are expected to double again by 2012.⁶
• Obese employees cost American businesses up to 52% more in annual healthcare costs vs. healthy weight employees, not to mention the impact of obesity on absenteeism, disability and presenteeism.⁷

The bottom line is that you are paying the price of America's obesity epidemic through higher health care costs and lost productivity. For every $100 spent in annual health care costs on a healthy-weight employee, employers spend 13.8% more on an overweight employee and 37.7% more on an obese employee.

Even small weight losses deliver big savings in health care costs!

Research has shown that just a 10% weight loss improves both health and well-being in a variety of ways. Medical experts now define successful weight loss as a 10% reduction in weight.

¹ U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease Overweight and Obesity.” U.S. Dept. of HHS. 2001 Report.
² American Obesity Association. “Health Effects of Obesity.” American Obesity Association Fact Sheet. 2000; 1-4.
³ The American Cancer Society
⁴ Wellness Council of America
⁵ Wolf, AM, Colditz, GA. “Current Estimates of the Economic Cost of Obesity in the United States.” Obesity Research.1998; 6:97-106.
⁶ Kaiser/HRET Survey of Employer-Sponsored Health Benefits. 2003.
⁷ Burton WN, et al.The Economic Costs Associated with Body Mass Index in a Workplace. J Occup Environ Med. Sept 1998;40(9):786-792