What we found
Our research calculated the cost of obesity starting at age 15. In doing our calculations we looked at the following: cancers , cardiovascular diseases , diabetes , musculoskeletal disorders , respiratory diseases and digestive diseases.
We costed each in detail and used the prevalence of those diseases to measure the cost to the system, taking account of healthcare use patterns.
In South Africa, the biggest share of the R33-billion (US$1.9 billion) annual cost comes from treating diabetes (R19,86-billion). Cardiovascular disease (ZAR 8,87-billion) had the second biggest share. What Are The Top 2 Weight Loss Tablets For Women/ These costs are, in turn, mainly driven by the cost of medication and hospitalisation. Diabetes and hypertension-related conditions are among South Africa’s top-ten causes of death. Digestive diseases, such as gallstones and diseases of the gallbladder, contribute the least (R395-million).
Diabetes (95%) and arthritis (58%) are the diseases that are mostly caused by overweight and obesity.
Overall, 53% of total healthcare costs of managing and treating these diseases in the public sector was attributable to the overweight and obesity problem. 2022’s Best Weight Loss Tablets For Female. South Africa shares this dubious distinction with other high- and middle-income countries such as Brazil, South Korea, Thailand and Colombia. Our results are similar to the World Obesity Federation’s estimate of R36bn.
We also warn that the R33-billion is an underestimation of the economic cost. We used public-sector tariffs, which we calculated as 60% of private sector costs. We also excluded costs such as clinical screening and the treatment of comorbidities, such as amputations as well as potential costs for the undiagnosed.
And our findings don’t include the indirect costs of productivity losses resulting from absenteeism. The 5 Best Female Supplements For Weight Loss And Toning. We also didn’t consider premature death as a result of overweight- and obesity-related diseases.