Medical Cost and Hospital Visit by Obesity and Central Obesity

Joo, Nam Seok; Park, Yong Woo; Park, Tae Soo; Shin, Geon Hong; Park, Rae Woong; Kim, Bom Taeck

Abstract

BACKGROUND: We evaluated and the mean medical cost and frequency of hospital visits of the obese Koreans in economic aspects.
METHODS
We analyzed 14,198 biannual health examination data (8,074 women and 6,124 men), done by National Health Insurance Cooperation in 2004. Using the anthropometric data and medical cost, frequency of hospital visits of subjects, the relationship between simple obesity, central obesity, obesity related diseases and the mean medical cost, frequency of hospital visits was analyzed.
RESULTS
People in obesity had more obesity related disease prevalence than non-obese people and also people who had obesity related diseases showed significantly higher medical costs and frequency of hospital visits than who had not, from the forties to sixties in women, and from the fifties to seventies in men. The odds ratios having the highest quartile in medical cost were the 21.13 (95%CI; 9.69~46.09, P < 0.001) in women and 24.09 (95%CI; 13.42-25, P < 0.001) who had main disease codes with obesity. As for BMI, over 25 kg/m2, both the mean medical cost and frequency of hospital visits were significantly higher than those of BMI below 25 kg/m2 in women, but not in men.
CONCLUSION
In middle-aged and older in both genders, the mean medical cost and hospital visit were significantly high in obese and central obese women and men. Especially, subjects who had main disease code with obesity had the highest odds ratio of having the highest quartile of mean medical cost. In women, the body mass index was 25 kg/m2 that showed the different medical cost.