Hi, thanks for your question. There have been some important studies
conducted on the matter of obesity relatively recently. I have
highlighted those studies, but there are many more.
Here is a site that cites specifics from studies linking obesity with
health problems:
Spotlight Health
http://www.spotlighthealth.com/morbid_obesity/obesity_overview/related_problems.html
Summary of the Rand Study:
Obesity Linked To Higher Health Care Costs Than Smoking or Drinking
March 12, 2004
http://www.dhss.state.mo.us/balance/bal_v1-1_obesity.htm
<<?Obesity appears to have a stronger association with the occurrence
of chronic medical conditions, reduced physical health-related quality
of life, and increased health care and medication expenditures than
smoking or problem drinking,? declared author Sturm. In fact, the
report finds that obesity has roughly the same association with
chronic health conditions as aging the 20 years between 30 and 50.>>
<<Both studies were funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. RAND
is a nonprofit organization that helps improve policy and decision
making through research and analysis.>>
Overview of the Rand Obesity Study -- includes graphs and charts
The Rand Corporation
http://www.rand.org/publications/RB/RB9043/
<<Key findings:
* Obesity in the U.S. population has been increasing steadily over the
last two decades ? and severe obesity is increasing the
fastest.
* Obesity is linked to higher health care costs than smoking or
drinking is. Obesity plays a major role in disability at all ages.
* The cost consequences of disability among the young could swamp
recent Medicare and Medicaid savings stemming from increasingly good
health among the elderly.>>
This is a large and influential study and the site includes many links to others:
New England Journal of Medicine Study
April 24, 2003
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/348/17/1625
NHMRC Study Overview:
http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/publications/synopses/n21syn.htm
This site cites numerous studies:
About Overweight and Obesity
Australian Government
http://www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/strateg/hlthwt/obesity.htm
HEALTH CONSEQUENCES OF OBESITY
http://atoz.iqhealth.com/atoz/Obesity/health.html
Response to recent studies (argues they are flawed)
NAAFA April 2003
http://naafa.org/news/obesity_study_april2003.html
Other Recent Studies/Journal Articles:
Lakdawalla, D. N., J. Bhattacharya, and D. P. Goldman, ?Are the Young
Becoming More Disabled? Rates of Disability Appear to Be on the Rise
Among People Ages Eighteen to Fifty-Nine, Fueled by a Growing Obesity
Epidemic,? Health Affairs, Vol. 23, No. 1, January/February 2004, pp.
168-176.
Lakdawalla, D., D. P. Goldman, J. Bhattacharya, M. D. Hurd, G. F.
Joyce, and C.W.A. Panis, ?Forecasting the Nursing Home Population,?
Medical Care, Vol. 41, No. 1 (Point/Counterpoint) 2003, pp. 8-20.
Sturm, R., ?The Effects Of Obesity, Smoking, and Drinking on Medical
Problems and Costs,? Health Affairs, Vol. 21, No. 1, February/March
2002, pp. 245-253.
Sturm, R., ?Increases in Clinically Severe Obesity in the United
States, 1986-2000,? Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 163, No. 18,
October 13, 2003, pp. 2146-2148.
Sturm, R., J. Ringel, and T. Andreyava, ?Increasing Obesity Rates and
Disability Trends,? Health Affairs, Vol. 23, No. 2, March/April 2004,
pp. 1-7.
ADDITIONAL SOURCES
1. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
(NIDDK), a part of the NIH. Diabetes Statistics. National Diabetes
Information Clearinghouse. NIH Publication No. 99-3892. March 1999.
2. Lee IM et al. Body weight and mortality: a 27-year follow-up of
middle-aged men. JAMA. 1993; 270: 2823-2828.
3. Alpert MA, Hashimi MW. Obesity and the heart. Am J Med Sci. 1993; 306; 117-123.
4. Douglas NJ. The sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome. Eur J Clin Invest.
1995; 25: 285-290.
5. Riley RW et al. Obstructive sleep apnea: trends in therapy. West J
Med. 1995; 162: 143-148.
6. Namnoum AB. Obesity: a disease worthy treating. Female Patient. 1993; 18: 33-44.
7. Kissebah AH et al. Health risks of obesity. Med Clin North Am.
1989; 73: 111-138.
8. Lew EA, Garfinkel L. Variations in mortality by weight among
750,000 men and women. J Chronic Dis. 1979; 32: 563-576.
9. Calle EE et al. Overweight, obesity, and mortality from cancer in a
prospectively studied cohort of U.S. adults. N Engl J Med 2003 Apr
24;348(17):1625-38.
10. ibid
11. Pi-Sunyer FX. Medical hazards of obesity. Ann Intern Med. 1993;
119 (7 Pt. 2): 655-660.
12. Seinige UL et al. Gallbladder disease in the morbidly obese
patient. Obes Surg 1991 Mar; 1(1): 51-56.
13. Hart DJ, Spector TD. The relationship of obesity, fat distribution
and osteoarthritis in women in the general population: the Chingford
Study. J Rheumatol. 1993; 20: 331-335.
14. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE) /
American College of Endocrinology (ACE) Statement on the Prevention,
Diagnosis, and Treatment of Obesity (1998 Revision). AACE/ACE Obesity
Task Force. Endocr Pract. 1998; Vol. 4 No. 5: 297-330.
15. Drenick EJ et al. Excessive mortality and causes of death in
morbidly obese men. JAMA. 1980; 243: 433-445.
16. Goldstein DJ. Beneficial health effects of modest weight loss. Int
J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1992; 16: 397-415).
17. Stunkard AJ. Current views on obesity. Am J Med. 1996; 100: 230-236.
Google Search Terms Used
obesity "health problems" studies
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=obesity+%22health+problems%22+studies&btnG=Google+Search
Thanks again for your question. Please let me know if you need any
clarification of my response. Hope this helps.
Regards,
Anthony (adiloren-ga) |
