TY - JOUR

T1 - The substantial costs to society associated with obesity–a Danish register-based study based on 2002-2018 data

AU - Spanggaard, Maria

AU - Bøgelund, Mette

AU - Dirksen, Carsten

AU - Jørgensen, Nils Bruun

AU - Madsbad, Steen

AU - Panton, Ulrik Haagen

AU - Pedersen, Mikkel H.

AU - Reitzel, Signe Baattrup

AU - Johansen, Pierre

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - Introduction: The Danish national health registers were used to investigate the economic burden of obesity, associated costs of comorbidities and a breakdown into direct and indirect costs. Methods: The study population comprised all Danish adult citizens registered with a hospital diagnosis of obesity in the Danish National Patient Register between 2002 and 2018. Cases were matched with five controls via the Danish Civil Registration System. We estimated the difference in total healthcare costs and indirect costs between cases and controls and the difference in healthcare resource utilization. In a sub-analysis, we estimated total healthcare costs for persons who had been registered with one or more of 11 predefined comorbidities. Results: People with obesity experienced a statistically significant twofold increase in average direct healthcare costs per year (EUR 5,934), compared with controls (EUR 2,788) and had statistically significantly higher indirect costs compared to controls. Total healthcare costs for people with obesity and one or more of the 11 comorbidities were 91.7%–342.8% higher than total healthcare costs of the population with obesity but none of the 11 comorbidities. Conclusion: Obesity was associated with an increase in both direct and indirect costs. The presence of comorbidities was associated with additional healthcare costs. Key points: Obesity is associated with an increase in direct and indirect costs in Denmark. Comorbidities are associated with additional healthcare costs.

AB - Introduction: The Danish national health registers were used to investigate the economic burden of obesity, associated costs of comorbidities and a breakdown into direct and indirect costs. Methods: The study population comprised all Danish adult citizens registered with a hospital diagnosis of obesity in the Danish National Patient Register between 2002 and 2018. Cases were matched with five controls via the Danish Civil Registration System. We estimated the difference in total healthcare costs and indirect costs between cases and controls and the difference in healthcare resource utilization. In a sub-analysis, we estimated total healthcare costs for persons who had been registered with one or more of 11 predefined comorbidities. Results: People with obesity experienced a statistically significant twofold increase in average direct healthcare costs per year (EUR 5,934), compared with controls (EUR 2,788) and had statistically significantly higher indirect costs compared to controls. Total healthcare costs for people with obesity and one or more of the 11 comorbidities were 91.7%–342.8% higher than total healthcare costs of the population with obesity but none of the 11 comorbidities. Conclusion: Obesity was associated with an increase in both direct and indirect costs. The presence of comorbidities was associated with additional healthcare costs. Key points: Obesity is associated with an increase in direct and indirect costs in Denmark. Comorbidities are associated with additional healthcare costs.

KW - Burden of disease

KW - cost of illness

KW - obesity

KW - real-world evidence

KW - register-based study

U2 - 10.1080/14737167.2022.2053676

DO - 10.1080/14737167.2022.2053676

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35297718

AN - SCOPUS:85127332903

VL - 22

SP - 823

EP - 833

JO - Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research

JF - Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research

SN - 1473-7167

IS - 5

ER -