ArticleGlobal health action2022
Estimating the healthcare cost of overweight and obesity in South Africa.
Article in Global health action, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The clinical and economic burden of obesity in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Pooled it
- Economic costs of obesity: a systematic review.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2024Pooled it
- Comparative Analysis of Cardiometabolic Risk Profiles Among Hypertensive and Normotensive Adults: Cross-Sectional Study.Interactive journal of medical research · 2026Article
- A Targeted Review of Available Data Sources to Support Evidence-Informed Decisions: Implications for Health Technology Assessment in South Africa.PharmacoEconomics - open · 2026Review
- Commercial interests in health policy dialogues: a qualitative content analysis of NEDLAC's engagement with South Africa's Health Promotion Levy.Globalization and health · 2026Article
- Estimating the cost of not setting the Health Promotion Levy at 20% in South Africa: an extended cost-effectiveness analysis.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Investigation of the potential of phytochemicals derived from citrus peels to inhibit digestive enzymes: an overture to the management of lifestyle diseases.Journal of enzyme inhibition and medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- Hospital costs attributable to obesity, diabetes, and hypertension in COVID-19 patients in South Africa.Journal of public health research · 2025Article
- Increased Plasma Levels of ACE and Ang II in Prediabetes May Contribute to Adipose Tissue Dysfunction.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Observational
- The association between the health promotion levy and employment in South Africa: an interrupted time series analysis.BMC nutrition · 2025Article
- An assessment of a health education program addressing overweight, obesity and lifestyle modification in Ghana.PloS one · 2025Article
- Prevalence of obesity among adults in Otjomuise Community in Namibia.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2025Article
- Unraveling the Causal Relationship Between Non-Communicable Diseases, Obesity, and Health Expenditure: Insights from the Toda-Yamamoto Approach.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Modelling the potential impact of a tax on fruit juice in South Africa: implications for the primary prevention of type 2 diabetes and health financing.BMC nutrition · 2024Article
- Establishment of a novel obesity mouse model: the induction of intestinal microbiota dysbiosis.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Potential health and economic impact of achieving Kenya's overweight and obesity reduction target: a modelling study.BMJ public health · 2024Article
- Comparison of low-dose maximal-intent versus controlled-tempo resistance training on quality-of-life, functional capacity, and strength in untrained healthy adults: a comparative effectiveness study.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2024Article
- Weight Gain After HIV Therapy Initiation: Pathophysiology and Implications.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2024 · on this mapReview
- Roles of Marine Macroalgae or Seaweeds and Their Bioactive Compounds in Combating Overweight, Obesity and Diabetes: A Comprehensive Review.Marine drugs · 2023Review
- Beverage industry's advertising expenditures and airtimes in South Africa from 2013 to 2019 target children and families.Journal of public health research · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOverweight and obesity are major risk factors for noncommunicable diseases. This presents a major burden to health systems and to society in South Africa. Collectively, these conditions are overwhelming public healthcare. This is happening when the country has embarked on a journey to universal health coverage, hence the need to estimate the cost of overweight and obesity.
objectiveOur objective was to estimate the healthcare cost associated with treatment of weight-related conditions from the perspective of the South African public sector payer.
methodsUsing a bottom-up gross costing approach, this study draws data from multiple sources to estimate the direct healthcare cost of overweight and obesity in South Africa. Population Attributable Fractions (PAF) were calculated and multiplied by each disease's total treatment cost to apportion costs to overweight and obesity. Annual costs were estimated for 2020.
resultsThe total cost of overweight and obesity is estimated to be ZAR33,194 million in 2020. This represents 15.38% of government health expenditure and is equivalent to 0.67% of GDP. Annual per person cost of overweight and obesity is ZAR2,769. The overweight and obesity cost is disaggregated as follows: cancers (ZAR352 million), cardiovascular diseases (ZAR8,874 million), diabetes (ZAR19,861 million), musculoskeletal disorders (ZAR3,353 million), respiratory diseases (ZAR360 million) and digestive diseases (ZAR395 million). Sensitivity analyses show that the total overweight and obesity cost is between ZAR30,369 million and ZAR36,207 million.
conclusionThis analysis has demonstrated that overweight and obesity impose a huge financial burden on the public health care system in South Africa. It suggests an urgent need for preventive, population-level interventions to reduce overweight and obesity rates. The reduction will lower the incidence, prevalence, and healthcare spending on noncommunicable diseases.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.