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This narrative review examines the economic burden of obesity on healthcare systems, employers, and societies, synthesizing evidence on direct (medical expenditures) and indirect costs (absenteeism, premature mortality). The review highlights the financial pressures created by rising prevalence, treatment patterns, and comorbidity profiles, and identifies major cost drivers while evaluating the cost-effectiveness of obesity interventions and policy approaches. Methodological challenges and data gaps limit the precision of cost estimates.
Obesity imposes a substantial and growing economic burden on healthcare systems, driven by both direct medical expenditures and indirect costs like lost productivity, highlighting the need for effective interventions and policy changes.
Obesity imposes a substantial and growing economic burden on health systems, employers, and societies worldwide. This narrative review synthesizes current evidence on the direct and indirect costs attributable to overweight and obesity, highlighting the significant financial pressures created by rising prevalence, treatment patterns, comorbidity profiles, healthcare pricing, and access barriers. Direct medical expenditures, spanning inpatient and outpatient care, pharmaceuticals, procedures, and long-term care, constitute a major component of healthcare spending, while indirect costs such as absenteeism, presenteeism, premature mortality, and caregiver time often exceed medical expenditures. Demographic and geographic disparities further shape cost variability, underscoring the disproportionate burden borne by lower-income populations and specific age or ethnic groups. The review identifies major drivers of rising costs, evaluates the cost-effectiveness of obesity interventions, and examines policy approaches aimed at containment, including taxation, subsidies, preventive programs, and workplace wellness strategies. Persistent methodological challenges and data gaps, particularly regarding indirect costs, limit the precision of cost estimates and impede coherent policy formulation. Strengthening data systems, standardizing methodologies, and integrating equity considerations into policy design are essential for mitigating the long-term economic consequences of obesity and promoting sustainable health system financing. Keywords: Obesity-Related Costs, Direct and Indirect Expenditures, Productivity Losses, Health Policy and Economic Burden.
