 | Obesity Obesity is a condition defined as when a person has a body mass index (BMI) of over 30. This typically means the individual is more than 30lbs above the healthy weight based on height. It results in serious health issues, particularly: - Cardiovascular diseases, mainly heart disease and stroke
- Diabetes
- High cholesterol
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Cancer (endometrial, breast, colon)
- Gastorintestinal disorders
Although obesity is a serious concern, the percentage of people in Canada, the United States, and around the world (see chart) who suffer from obesity is steadily increasing. Take the US as an example: between 1998 and 2006, the prevalence of obesity went up by 37%; it now sits at a rate of approximately 31%, up from 23% in the late 1980’s, and 15% in the late 1970’s. World wide, over 400 million adults are obese. The World Health Organization estimates that number will rise, and within 5 years will be up to over 700 million.  The impact on the health care system is becoming apparent: extra pounds means extra costs. Costs associated with treating obese patients are significantly higher than normal weight patients across the healthcare industry. For pre-hospital care providers, specialized equipment (including stretchers and vehicles) has to be purchased, costing tens of thousands of dollars. At the hospital, special equipment, procedures, testing, and other types of care are required. Finally, prescription drugs to treat the multitude of diseases come at significant cost to the health care system, insurance providers, and the patient. At some extremes, obese patients requiring medical assistance will have to be moved via forklift, transported via U-Haul or flatbed truck, or even have walls removed from their homes to extricate the patient. In the United States, some ambulance services are now starting to charge a premium fee for obese patients. It may seem discriminatory, but these companies say they need to recoup the cost – it costs approximately 2½ times more to transport an obese patient. On average, treating an obese person cost $1,244 more than treating a healthy-weight person did in 2002. The additional costs of obese patients is staggering. In Canada, it’s approximately $2 billion annually, or 2.5% of health care expenditures. In the US, it’s up to $147 billion annually, or 9% of medical costs. Although the situation is serious, there are 2 simple things everyone can do to reduce obesity: increase physical activity, and change your diet to decrease sugar and saturated fat intake, and increase fruit and vegetable intake. Additional information on obesity, and the cost on health care systems, can be found on each of these sites: -Medical News Today -USA Today -World Health Organization -WebMD -Calculate your own BMI For more information, or to get in touch with CommerxEMS contact us at chelsea@commerx.com or 403 301 3883 x 238 | |
