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Economics and obesity: costing the problem or evaluating solutions?
1Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. lpr9@cdc.gov
Obesity Research
|February 26, 2004
Summary
Economics offers valuable tools for obesity care, focusing on resource allocation rather than just calculating the economic burden of obesity. Formal economic evaluation is key to optimizing prevention and treatment strategies.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Economics
Background:
- Obesity is a significant global public health challenge.
- The economic impact of obesity is substantial, but its measurement is debated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To argue for the primary role of economic evaluation in addressing obesity.
- To differentiate between cost-of-illness studies and economic evaluation in obesity care.
Main Methods:
- Critique of cost-of-illness studies for obesity.
- Advocacy for formal economic evaluation methods.
Main Results:
- Cost-of-illness studies confirm obesity's severity but lack policy relevance.
- Economic evaluation provides a framework for resource allocation in obesity interventions.
Conclusions:
- The true value of economics in obesity lies in evaluating resource use for prevention and treatment.
- Formal economic evaluation is essential for effective and efficient obesity care strategies.