Understanding the clinical characteristics associated with health care costs and cost savings upon weight reduction in individuals with obesity or overweight
Authors' conclusion
Findings underscore ORCs as key drivers of health care costs and highlight the need for targeted treatment strategies to effectively manage obesity, reduce the risk and severity of ORCs, and control health care costs. Furthermore, understanding baseline costs and treatment-related cost trajectories across patient subgroups offers critical insights to inform both clinical decision-making and health policy design.
Study context
- Population
- Individuals ≥19 years with obesity/overweight (BMI ≥27 kg/m²), ≥12 months continuous medical/pharmacy enrolment
- Exposure
- Primary vs OMM vs Surgery
- Outcome
- Predictors of health care costs (primary cohort)
Methodological detailsOptum MarketClarity database 2014–2022
- Optum MarketClarity database 2014–2022
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Obesity-related complications (ORCs) (gastroesophageal reflux disease, osteoarthritis-knee and hip, coronary heart disease, hypertension, HF) associated with higher median costs
≈2-4-fold
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Secondary outcomes
Predictors of cost savings and ≥10% weight reduction (OMM and surgery cohorts)
- Strongest predictors were baseline costs, outpatient visits (OMM cohort) and metabolic syndrome (surgery cohort)
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →