13 Stats and Facts – Obesity: A Heavy Burden on Business

1. One in three U.S. adults is obese.
2. If the current trajectory continues, 50% of the population will be obese by 2030.
3. More than 60% of the United States population is overweight or obese.
4. $1,000 to $6,000 in added cost per year for each obese employee.
5. Total cost of obesity to U.S. employers — including lost productivity — at $73 billion a year.
6. Nearly 10 percent of U.S. corporate health care costs are due to obesity and its complications.
7. The overall, tangible, annual costs of being obese are $4,879 for an obese woman and $2,646 for an obese man.
8. The overall annual costs of being overweight are $524 and $432 for women and men, respectively.
9. The health care costs for a morbidly obese person are $2,845 higher per year than the health care costs for a normal-weight person.
10. Average annualized costs, including value of lost life, are $8,365 for obese women and $6,518 for obese men.
11. Obese employees are more likely to be absent from work as a result of illness or injury than normal-weight employees.
12. An overweight employee had a 26% increase in risk of a short-term disability event in comparison to a normal-weight employee. In comparison to a normal-weight employee, an obese employee had a 76% increase in risk of a short-term disability event.
13. Nearly 1 billion additional gallons of fuel are consumed annually because of average-passenger weight increases since 1960.  Annually, it is estimated that for every additional pound of weight for all car passengers, an additional 39.2 million gallons of fuel are consumed.

Sources:

• A Heavy Burden: The Individual Costs of Being Overweight and Obese in the United States
• Workplaces Feel The Impact of Obesity