Editor's Choice Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Also Included In: Pediatrics / Children's Health Article Date: 23 Mar 2012 - 10:00 PDT

email to a friend printer friendly opinions

Current Article Ratings:

The "Campaign to End Obesity" has just released a new study that shows that it is economically crucial to take real action on obesity, particularly in children.

Interestingly, the study was performed by two prominent conservative economists, both former Bush administration officials, who concluded that the impact on the budget would be far lower if policies to reverse childhood obesity were acted upon, rather than failing to tackle childhood obesity, which would be considerably more costly.

The authors highlight the fact that several evidence-based obesity interventions and treatment methods can prove cost-effective, as well as offering major long-term savings. They not only reduce obesity, but also prevent or decrease dangerous and costly secondary diseases, including cancer and diabetes.

$147 billion are currently spent every year on obesity-related health care expenses, a figure that does not include the additional billions in costs to businesses, communities and families. If the obesity epidemic is not controlled, the health care toll will continue to shoot up.

Health care costs are already the fastest-growing area of government spending, and according to a recent McKinsey report, the projected spending for the U.S. on obesity could be as high as $320 billion annually by 2018.

In light of these budgetary threats, Congress passed the health care overhaul in 2010 to seriously tackle the childhood obesity epidemic.

Progress is already being made in Wisconsin and countrywide, through implementing new community-directed programs that make healthy living more accessible to children and their families. The law also means that the secretary of Health and Human Services is in a position to ensure are wider availability of certain medical services for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of obesity, and that these are covered under federal insurance programs.

See the original post:
Combating Childhood Obesity, The Budget Case - Rep. Ron Kind and Donna Katen-Bahensky