Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36130777›Full record

ArticleBMJ global health2022

Economic impacts of overweight and obesity: current and future estimates for 161 countries.

Adeyemi Okunogbe, Rachel Nugent, Garrison Spencer, Jaynaide Powis, Johanna Ralston, John Wilding

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ global health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 386 papers, 24 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
386citing papers in PubMed, 24 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

386 citing papers in PubMed, 24 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Are There Any Effective Behavior Change Strategies for Communicating Genetic Risk in Obesity Prevention and Body Weight Reduction Interventions?Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
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  3. 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 · 2026
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  6. Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Children and Adolescents With Overweight or Obesity: A Systematic Review and Component Network Meta-Analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
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  11. Physical Literacy and Obesity Risk in Children: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
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326 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Adeyemi OkunogbeGlobal Health Division, RTI International, Washington, D.C, USA aokunogbe@rti.org.ORCID 0000-0002-7486-5176
Rachel NugentCenter for GlobalNoncommunicable Diseases, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
Garrison SpencerCenter for GlobalNoncommunicable Diseases, RTI International, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA.
Jaynaide PowisWorld Obesity Federation, London, UK.
Johanna RalstonWorld Obesity Federation, London, UK.
John WildingWorld Obesity Federation, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe scope of the challenge of overweight and obesity (OAO) has not been fully realised globally, in part because much of what is known about the economic impacts of OAO come from high-income countries (HICs) and are not readily comparable due to methodological differences. Our objective is to estimate the current and future national economic impacts of OAO globally.

methodsWe estimated economic impacts of OAO for 161 countries using a cost-of-illness approach. Direct and indirect costs of OAO between 2019 and 2060 were estimated from a societal perspective. We assessed the effect of two hypothetical scenarios of OAO prevalence projections. Country-specific data were sourced from published studies and global databases.

resultsThe economic impact of OAO in 2019 is estimated at 2.19% of global gross domestic product (GDP) ranging on average from US$20 per capita in Africa to US$872 per capita in the Americas and from US$6 in low-income countries to US$1110 in HICs.If current trends continue, by 2060, the economic impacts from OAO are projected to rise to 3.29% of GDP globally. The biggest increase will be concentrated in lower resource countries with total economic costs increasing by fourfold between 2019 and 2060 in HICs, whereas they increase 12-25 times in low and middle-income countries. Reducing projected OAO prevalence by 5% annually from current trends or keeping it at 2019 levels will translate into average annual reductions of US$429 billion or US$2201 billion in costs, respectively, between 2020 and 2060 globally.

conclusionThis study provides novel evidence on the economic impact of OAO across different economic and geographic contexts. Our findings highlight the need for concerted and holistic action to address the global rise in OAO prevalence, to avert the significant risks of inaction and achieve the promise of whole-of-society gains in population well-being.

Indexed as

ObesityOverweightCosts and Cost AnalysisGross Domestic ProductHumansIncomeHealth economicsHealth policyPublic Health

Identifiers

PMID36130777
PMCPMC9494015

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Registered trials

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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.