Annual Health Expenditures by Body Mass Index Categories and the Economic Impact of Obesity in Türkiye: A Retrospective Modeling Study

Introduction: Obesity is considered not only a public health issue on a global scale but also a disease adversely affecting the world economies. Economic impact of overweight and obesity has not yet been investigated in Türkiye at a national level. This study aimed to investigate the impa...

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Main Authors: Ergun Oksuz, Simten Malhan, Halil Alis, Dilek GogasYavuz, Tarkan Karakan, Mehmet Sargin, Alper Sonmez, Lale Tokgozoglu, Batu Gurser, Esra Safak Yilmaz, Volkan Demirhan Yumuk
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Karger Publishers 2025-01-01
Series:Obesity Facts
Online Access:https://karger.com/article/doi/10.1159/000542821
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author Ergun Oksuz
Simten Malhan
Halil Alis
Dilek GogasYavuz
Tarkan Karakan
Mehmet Sargin
Alper Sonmez
Lale Tokgozoglu
Batu Gurser
Esra Safak Yilmaz
Volkan Demirhan Yumuk
author_facet Ergun Oksuz
Simten Malhan
Halil Alis
Dilek GogasYavuz
Tarkan Karakan
Mehmet Sargin
Alper Sonmez
Lale Tokgozoglu
Batu Gurser
Esra Safak Yilmaz
Volkan Demirhan Yumuk
author_sort Ergun Oksuz
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Obesity is considered not only a public health issue on a global scale but also a disease adversely affecting the world economies. Economic impact of overweight and obesity has not yet been investigated in Türkiye at a national level. This study aimed to investigate the impact of obesity on healthcare costs in Türkiye and to estimate the overall national economic burden of obesity. Methods: The study was based on a cross-sectional analysis of retrospectively pooled data from 2009 to 2014 payer claims data and 2014–2019 Türkiye Health Survey (THS). In the first step, obesity-related annual per person overall health expenditures in adults with obesity were calculated and calculations were also made in subgroups of payer and healthcare categories. In the second step, using the developed model, the national economic disease burden of adult obesity was estimated, along with the projections for the estimated expenditures over the next 30 years. Economic values were adjusted according to US dollar values of 2021 purchasing power parities (PPPs) (PPP 1.0 = 2.782 TRY). Results: The annual healthcare costs were significantly higher in individuals with obesity than in those with normal body mass index (BMI) (odds ratio 1.243; 95% confidence interval: 1.206–1.281), and the cost increment was positively correlated with higher BMI (by 117% in class I obesity vs. 169% in class III obesity, p < 0.001). In the year 2021, obesity-related direct and indirect costs in adults were estimated to be PPP 27.4 billion and 39.5 billion, respectively. The total economic burden was estimated to be PPP 66.9 billion, which is equivalent to 2.6% of gross national product. Direct medical cost of obesity corresponds to 8.4% of total health expenditure in Türkiye. Conclusions: Obesity is both an individual and social health problem, which emphasizes the potential role of a range of stakeholders, besides the health sector, in addressing this problem. The indirect costs comprise the key cost driver of the total national cost of obesity, which forms the rationale for population-wide policy interventions toward prevention or reduction of obesity.
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spelling doaj-art-7015be866ec14d5cbac2fe94b6511a532025-08-20T03:49:41ZengKarger PublishersObesity Facts1662-40332025-01-0126928610.1159/000542821Annual Health Expenditures by Body Mass Index Categories and the Economic Impact of Obesity in Türkiye: A Retrospective Modeling StudyErgun OksuzSimten MalhanHalil AlisDilek GogasYavuzhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-0075-6313Tarkan KarakanMehmet SarginAlper SonmezLale TokgozogluBatu GurserEsra Safak YilmazVolkan Demirhan Yumukhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6463-4916 Introduction: Obesity is considered not only a public health issue on a global scale but also a disease adversely affecting the world economies. Economic impact of overweight and obesity has not yet been investigated in Türkiye at a national level. This study aimed to investigate the impact of obesity on healthcare costs in Türkiye and to estimate the overall national economic burden of obesity. Methods: The study was based on a cross-sectional analysis of retrospectively pooled data from 2009 to 2014 payer claims data and 2014–2019 Türkiye Health Survey (THS). In the first step, obesity-related annual per person overall health expenditures in adults with obesity were calculated and calculations were also made in subgroups of payer and healthcare categories. In the second step, using the developed model, the national economic disease burden of adult obesity was estimated, along with the projections for the estimated expenditures over the next 30 years. Economic values were adjusted according to US dollar values of 2021 purchasing power parities (PPPs) (PPP 1.0 = 2.782 TRY). Results: The annual healthcare costs were significantly higher in individuals with obesity than in those with normal body mass index (BMI) (odds ratio 1.243; 95% confidence interval: 1.206–1.281), and the cost increment was positively correlated with higher BMI (by 117% in class I obesity vs. 169% in class III obesity, p < 0.001). In the year 2021, obesity-related direct and indirect costs in adults were estimated to be PPP 27.4 billion and 39.5 billion, respectively. The total economic burden was estimated to be PPP 66.9 billion, which is equivalent to 2.6% of gross national product. Direct medical cost of obesity corresponds to 8.4% of total health expenditure in Türkiye. Conclusions: Obesity is both an individual and social health problem, which emphasizes the potential role of a range of stakeholders, besides the health sector, in addressing this problem. The indirect costs comprise the key cost driver of the total national cost of obesity, which forms the rationale for population-wide policy interventions toward prevention or reduction of obesity. https://karger.com/article/doi/10.1159/000542821
spellingShingle Ergun Oksuz
Simten Malhan
Halil Alis
Dilek GogasYavuz
Tarkan Karakan
Mehmet Sargin
Alper Sonmez
Lale Tokgozoglu
Batu Gurser
Esra Safak Yilmaz
Volkan Demirhan Yumuk
Annual Health Expenditures by Body Mass Index Categories and the Economic Impact of Obesity in Türkiye: A Retrospective Modeling Study
Obesity Facts
title Annual Health Expenditures by Body Mass Index Categories and the Economic Impact of Obesity in Türkiye: A Retrospective Modeling Study
title_full Annual Health Expenditures by Body Mass Index Categories and the Economic Impact of Obesity in Türkiye: A Retrospective Modeling Study
title_fullStr Annual Health Expenditures by Body Mass Index Categories and the Economic Impact of Obesity in Türkiye: A Retrospective Modeling Study
title_full_unstemmed Annual Health Expenditures by Body Mass Index Categories and the Economic Impact of Obesity in Türkiye: A Retrospective Modeling Study
title_short Annual Health Expenditures by Body Mass Index Categories and the Economic Impact of Obesity in Türkiye: A Retrospective Modeling Study
title_sort annual health expenditures by body mass index categories and the economic impact of obesity in turkiye a retrospective modeling study
url https://karger.com/article/doi/10.1159/000542821
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