Costs of managing conditions associated with obesity among Australian teenagers
RIS ID
30321
Abstract
AIM: To determine the health-care charges associated with monitoring and managing, over 1 year, the cases of elevated insulin concentration, elevated alanine aminotransferase concentration and dyslipidaemia due to overweight or obesity among 15-19-year-old Australian males and females. METHODS: Fasting blood samples (n= 500) were collected in 2004 from a representative population sample of adolescents (n= 496; mean age 15.3 years) attending schools in Sydney, Australia. Full service charges and Medicare expenditures for specialist medical and dietary consultations, pathology tests and radiological investigations, over 1 year, under efficient and inefficient health-care delivery models, including and excluding participants in the healthy body mass index (BMI) category. RESULTS: Under an inefficient delivery model and including all participants with elevated risk factors, the Medicare expenditure was $A305.1 million per annum (M pa). Exclusion of participants in the healthy BMI category resulted in an annual Medicare expenditure of $A170.0M pa. Under an efficient delivery model and including all participants with elevated risk factors, the Medicare expenditure was $A295.5M pa. Exclusion of participants in the healthy BMI category reduced annual Medicare expenditure to $A164.8M pa. Medicare expenditure for 15-19-year-olds would increase by 48% if only cases among overweight and obese adolescents were treated and by 85% if all cases were identified and treated. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term management of the health consequences of overweight and obesity among adolescents will increase Medicare expenditure on this group by at least 48%. Failure to treat will delay, but compound, health-care expenditure.
Publication Details
Booth, M., Dobbins, T., Aitken, R., Denney-Wilson, E., Hardy, L. L., Okely, A. D., George, J., Sullivan, D. R. & Cowell, C. (2009). Costs of managing conditions associated with obesity among Australian teenagers. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 45 (7/8), 448-456.