ArticleBMJ global health2021
Economic impacts of overweight and obesity: current and future estimates for eight countries.
Article in BMJ global health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 208 papers, 16 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
208 citing papers in PubMed, 16 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Obesity, Employment, and Economic Productivity in Europe: A Systematic Literature Review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
- Beyond BMI: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of mHealth Interventions for Pediatric Obesity Management.Nutrients · 2026Pooled it
- Robotic-Assisted Single Anastomosis Duodeno-Ileal Bypass with Sleeve Gastrectomy - A Systematic Review.Obesity surgery · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review of exposure to endocrine disruptors and energy expenditure in mice.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2025Pooled it
- Association of obesity with musculoskeletal health and functional mobility in females-a systematic review.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Interventions to prevent obesity in children aged 2 to 4 years old.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Assessing the evidence for health benefits of low-level weight loss: a systematic review.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Pooled it
- Costs of mental health care resource use in people with obesity: A systematic review.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions to prevent obesity in children aged 12 to 18 years old.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Interventions to prevent obesity in children aged 5 to 11 years old.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Economic costs of obesity: a systematic review.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2024Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety of polyethylene glycol loxenatide in type 2 diabetic patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Scientific reports · 2023Pooled it
- A systematic review of economic evidence for community-based obesity prevention interventions in children.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2023Pooled it
- Obesity in South and Southeast Asia-A new consensus on care and management.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2023Guideline
- Trial
- Improved health-related quality of life with tirzepatide versus semaglutide in adults with obesity or overweight from the SURMOUNT-5 trial.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2026Trial
- Analysis of Tirzepatide Acquisition Costs and Weight Reduction Outcomes in the United Kingdom: Insights from the SURMOUNT-1 Study.Advances in therapy · 2025Trial
- Efficacy and safety of Obex® in overweight and obese subjects: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2023Trial
148 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundObesity is a growing public health challenge worldwide with significant health and economic impacts. However, much of what is known about the economic impacts of obesity comes from high-income countries and studies are not readily comparable due to methodological differences. Our objective is to demonstrate a method for estimating current and future national economic impacts of obesity and apply it across a sample of heterogeneous contexts globally.
methodsWe estimated economic impacts of overweight and obesity for eight countries using a cost-of-illness approach. Direct and indirect costs of obesity from 2019 to 2060 were estimated from a societal perspective as well as the effect of two hypothetical scenarios of obesity prevalence projections. Country-specific data were sourced from published studies and global databases.
resultsIn per capita terms, costs of obesity in 2019 ranged from US$17 in India to US$940 in Australia. These economic costs are comparable to 1.8% of gross domestic product (GDP) on average across the eight countries, ranging from 0.8% of GDP in India to 2.4% in Saudi Arabia. By 2060, with no significant changes to the status quo, the economic impacts from obesity are projected to grow to 3.6% of GDP on average ranging from 2.4% of GDP in Spain to 4.9% of GDP in Thailand. Reducing obesity prevalence by 5% from projected levels or keeping it at 2019 levels will translate into an average annual reduction of 5.2% and 13.2% in economic costs, respectively, between 2020 and 2060 across the eight countries.
conclusionOur findings demonstrate that the economic impacts of obesity are substantial across countries, irrespective of economic or geographical context and will increase over time if current trends continue. These findings strongly point to the need for advocacy to increase awareness of the societal impacts of obesity, and for policy actions to address the systemic roots of obesity.
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