U.S. health costs may be highest due to weight
Twice as many Americans are obese than in Europe, study finds
Nearly twice as many U.S. adults are obese compared to European, a key factor leading Americans to suffer more often from cancer, diabetes and other chronic ailments, a study released on Tuesday found.
Treatment of these and other chronic diseases adds between $100 billion and $150 billion to the annual health care tab in the United States, according to the report comparing U.S. and European health published online in the journal Health Affairs.
The United States spends significantly more per capita than any European country on health care, about $2 trillion annually, or 16 percent of the gross domestic product. While the big discrepancy has been linked to higher U.S. prices for medical treatment, the report said a sicker population may also be a factor.
The blog, www.elementarychef.com, talks about one product that has been blamed for making Americans fat.
Back to the study, “We expected to see differences between disease prevalence in the United States and Europe, but the extent of the differences is surprising,” said Ken Thorpe, professor of public health at Emory University and a study co-author. “It is possible that we spend more on health care because we are, indeed, less healthy.”
A key factor in many chronic illnesses is obesity and smoking. About 33 percent of Americans are obese, compared with 17 percent in 10 European countries reviewed. More than half of Americans are former or current smokers, compared with about 43 percent in the European sample.
fat americans, skinny europeans
fat americans, skinny europeans
October 19th, 2007 at 5:57 am
[...] We talk a lot about obesity these days, so it is odd to think that it was only a few decades ago that a MoonPie and a Coke was an acceptable lunch. The thick and filling MoonPie is a Southern classic that was actually considered to be a meal way back when. [...]