Yonsei Med J.  2017 Jan;58(1):187-194. 10.3349/ymj.2017.58.1.187.

Costs Attributable to Overweight and Obesity in Working Asthma Patients in the United States

• Chang C
• Lee SM
• Choi BW
• Song JH
• Song H
• Jung S
• Bai YK
• Park H
• Jeung S
• Suh DC

• KMID: 2374206
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2017.58.1.187

Abstract

PURPOSE
To estimate annual health care and productivity loss costs attributable to overweight or obesity in working asthmatic patients.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study was conducted using the 2003-2013 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) in the United States. Patients aged 18 to 64 years with asthma were identified via self-reported diagnosis, a Clinical Classification Code of 128, or a ICD-9-CM code of 493.xx. All-cause health care costs were estimated using a generalized linear model with a log function and a gamma distribution. Productivity loss costs were estimated in relation to hourly wages and missed work days, and a two-part model was used to adjust for patients with zero costs. To estimate the costs attributable to overweight or obesity in asthma patients, costs were estimated by the recycled prediction method.
RESULTS
Among 11670 working patients with a diagnosis of asthma, 4428 (35.2%) were obese and 3761 (33.0%) were overweight. The health care costs attributable to obesity and overweight in working asthma patients were estimated to be $878 [95% confidence interval (CI): $861-$895] and $257 (95% CI: $251-$262) per person per year, respectively, from 2003 to 2013. The productivity loss costs attributable to obesity and overweight among working asthma patients were $256 (95% CI: $253-$260) and $26 (95% CI: $26-$27) per person per year, respectively.
CONCLUSION
Health care and productivity loss costs attributable to overweight and obesity in asthma patients are substantial. This study's results highlight the importance of effective public health and educational initiatives targeted at reducing overweight and obesity among patients with asthma, which may help lower the economic burden of asthma.

Keyword

Asthma; obesity; treatment costs; productivity loss costs; attributable costs

MeSH Terms

Adult
Asthma/*economics/epidemiology/therapy
*Cost of Illness
*Efficiency
*Employment
Female
*Health Care Costs
Health Expenditures
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Obesity/*economics/epidemiology/therapy
Overweight/economics/epidemiology/therapy
United States/epidemiology
Young Adult

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Average annual treatment costs in working asthma patients by age.

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  Fig. 2 Average annual productivity loss costs in working asthma patients by age.

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  Fig. 3 Costs attributable to overweight or obesity in working asthma patients. All costs were converted to 2015 US dollars. Dollars in the parenthesis represents 95% confidence interval (CI) calculated using bootstrapping method with 1000 iterations.

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