The cost implications of obesity for health care and society

The prevalence of obesity (body mass index (BMI) > 30 kg/m2) has been rising consistently in recent decades. Obesity is among the key promoters of a number of other highly prevalent and often fatal diseases. These characteristics make obesity one of the major cost drivers in Western health-care systems. For Germany, the direct costs of obesity itself are estimated to be about 850 million DM. Taking into account all attributable co-morbidities, the direct costs are estimated to be between 8.6-11.5 billion DM. If the indirect costs are also included in the calculations, these costs will multiply still further. There is a need for clinical trials in a primary care setting, in order to determine the impact of drug treatment (for example, sibutramine) on the treatment of obesity, the quality of life and the benefits of this treatment by means of a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and cost-utility analysis (CUA).