Economic cost of excess body weight among adults in Estonia

High disease burden related to excess body weight (EBW) poses a substantial burden to healthcare systems globally. This study aims to assess the economic impact of EBW in Estonia, where over 60% of adult population are overweight or obese.

Using population attributable fraction approach, this cost-of-illness study included 29 health conditions associated with overweight and obesity. The annual costs were calculated from the health care/government perspective for the year 2021 using individual level and administrative data. The direct costs were defined as a sum of treatment and medication costs, sickness benefits and care leave, while indirect costs were viewed as tax revenue lost due to premature death or incapacity for work. One-way sensitivity and scenario analyses were carried out to assess the robustness of the results.

The annual direct costs associated with EBW were €112.7 million, of which €107.2 million (95%) were treatment costs. Cardiovascular diseases (€58 million) had the highest treatment costs. Indirect costs of EBW were estimated at €12 million. The total annual cost of EBW among adults was €125 million (€116 per adult), from which €50.3 million was attributable to overweight and €74.4 million to obesity. Depending on assumptions and input data, the estimated total costs reached €226 million in the sensitivity analysis.

The estimated direct costs of EBW comprise 6.9% of national health expenses in Estonia. EBW among adults is thus not only an important public health challenge but also a considerable burden for national healthcare system.