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The economic burden of obesity in Italy: a cost-of-illness study

Author

Listed:
  • Margherita d’Errico

    (CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht University)

  • Milena Pavlova

    (CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht University)

  • Federico Spandonaro

    (University of Rome Tor Vergata
    Centre for Economic Applied Research in Health (C.R.E.A. Sanità))

Abstract

Background Obesity is a complex health disorder that significantly increases the risk of several chronic diseases, and it has been associated with a 5–20-year decrease in life expectancy. The prevalence of obesity is increasing steadily worldwide and Italy follows this trend with an increase of almost 30% in the adult obese population in the last 3 decades. Previous studies estimated that 2–4% of the total health expenditure in Europe is attributed to obesity and it is projected to double by 2050. Currently, there is a lack of sufficient knowledge on the burden of obesity in Italy and most relevant estimates are derived from international studies. The aim of this study is to estimate the direct and indirect costs of obesity in Italy, taking 2020 as the reference year. Methods Based on data collected from the literature, a quantitative cost-of-illness (COI) study was performed from a societal perspective focussing on the adult obese population (Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m2) in Italy. Results The study indicated that the total costs attributable to obesity in Italy amounted to €13.34 billion in 2020 (95% credible interval: €8.99 billion

Suggested Citation

  • Margherita d’Errico & Milena Pavlova & Federico Spandonaro, 2022. "The economic burden of obesity in Italy: a cost-of-illness study," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 23(2), pages 177-192, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eujhec:v:23:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10198-021-01358-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s10198-021-01358-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Obesity; Cardiovascular diseases (CVD); Diabetes; Cancer; Cost analysis; Cost-of-illness (COI);
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A12 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Other Disciplines
    • B23 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Econometrics; Quantitative and Mathematical Studies
    • C01 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - General - - - Econometrics
    • H51 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Government Expenditures and Health
    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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