Body mass index and lifetime healthcare utilization.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Overweight and obesity is a major global public health challenge, and understanding the implications for healthcare systems is essential for policy planning. Past studies have typically found positive associations between obesity and healthcare utilization, but these studies have not taken into consideration that obesity is also associated with early mortality. We examined associations between body mass index (BMI, reported as kg/m²) and healthcare utilization with and without taking BMI-specific survival into consideration.

Methods

We used nationally representative data on 33 882 adults collected between 2002 and 2015. We computed BMI- and age-specific primary and secondary care utilization and multiplied the estimated values with gender-, age-, and BM

SUBMITTER: Edwards CH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6794833 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature