Obesity has an effect on U.S. economy

Opinion: February 20, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

By LISA GABLE and HELEN DARLING

First lady Michelle Obama’s announcement of creating a national movement to tackle the epidemic of childhood obesity has raised an issue that is crucial to our economic future. Every single year, obesity costs our economy more than half as much as the recent recession did in its first 12 months.

Aside from being a major health problem and a personal tragedy for tens of millions of Americans, including 12 million children, obesity is having an effect on the U.S. economy that is the equivalent of a recession a year, every year, unless and until we get the problem under control. The United States spends 1 percent of GDP — or $147 billion a year — treating obesity-related ailments, according to an online article in Health Affairs published last July. The first 12 months of the recession, on the other hand, caused our economy to contract by 1.9 percent. But recessions end as part of the business cycle. The economic cost of obesity just keeps going — and growing. Obesity’s cost to the U.S. economy has doubled in the last 10 years. That’s four times the rate of inflation.

The economic consequences of obesity show up every day in American offices, factories and other places of work. Over the course of a year, obesity-related disorders are responsible for nearly 40 million lost workdays, 239 million restricted activity days, and 63 million doctor visits by employees across the country, the Department of Health and Human Services reports.

Direct health expenses

While obesity is rampant in the workplace, it shows up first in the classroom. Today, nearly one-third of American children are overweight or even obese. The problem is starting earlier than ever: The obesity rate for children 6-11 has more than quadrupled in the past four decades. And it is showing signs of getting even worse: Two-thirds of children and teens do not meet daily exercise guidelines, and 80 percent fail to meet daily fruit and vegetable consumption guidelines. One can measure the cost of childhood obesity in dollars — about $14 billion a year in direct health expenses. And one can measure it in the growth of such ailments as type 2 diabetes, asthma and even cardiovascular disease, among children. It is hard to believe that we now see children developing high blood pressure.

This is not only a mounting health problem. It is a looming economic challenge. There is a 70 percent chance that an obese teenager will become an obese adult, saddling U.S. businesses with rising insurance costs, increasing sick leave, and decreasing productivity.

But while the problems’ costs are high, so are the potential benefits of solving it. When it comes to increasing productivity, improving the health of employees is one of the best investments a company can make. A recent meta-analysis of studies in Health Affairs found that for every dollar companies spend on employee wellness, medical costs fall an average of $3.27. No wonder many employers are trying to make the work environment health-promotion zones, through healthier cafeteria and vending choices, renovated stairwells, and pedometer programs. Many businesses are providing a range of incentives — financial and non-financial — for healthy lifestyle behaviors. Many are sharing information with employees to foster greater awareness of health risks, and ways to shed pounds and become fit.

Government can provide support, through tax credits or tax-favored treatment of wellness programs and employers’ financial incentives.

Michelle Obama’s voice will add momentum to the effort to curb obesity.

It comes none too soon — for the health of the American people and the American economy.

X Lisa Gable is executive director of the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a partnership of retailers, non-profit organizations, food and beverage manufacturers and trade associations to reduce obesity. Helen Darling is president of the National Business Group on Health, a non-profit organization representing large employers’ perspective on national health policy issues. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.