Health burden and costs of obesity and overweight in Germany in 2002

Aim: This study aimed to estimate the health burden and the direct as well as indirect costs of morbidity and mortality attributable to obesity and overweight in Germany for the year 2002.

Methods: We estimated obesity and overweight attributable deaths, years of potential life lost (YPLL) and quality adjusted life years lost (QALY) for various diseases associated with obesity and overweight, using attributable fractions and routine statistics. Direct costs were estimated for inpatient and outpatient treatment, rehabilitation, nursing care and non-medical costs. Indirect costs were estimated for sickness absence, disability pensions and mortality using the human capital approach.

Results: We estimated 36,653 obesity and overweight attributable deaths with 428,093 consecutive YPLL and 367,772 QALYs lost. Obesity caused 5,084 Millions of Euro direct costs corresponding to 2,3% of overall German health expenditures in 2002 and 5,019 Millions of Euro indirect costs. 43% of direct costs resulted from endocrinologic disorders like diabetes and obesity itself, followed by cardiovascular disorders (38%), neoplasms (14%) and digestive disorders (6%). 60% of indirect costs resulted from unpaid work and 67% of overall indirect costs were due to mortality.

Conclusions: Obesity and overweight result in considerable mortality and direct as well as indirect costs, recommending improvement and further development of effective strategies for preventing and dealing with obesity and overweight.