Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Paper
  • Published:

Obesity morbidity and health care costs in France: an analysis of the 1991–1992 Medical Care Household Survey

International Journal of Obesity volume 24, pages 151–155 (2000)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the direct medical costs associated with obesity in France.

DESIGN: Analysis of the French 1991–1992 National Household Survey database comprising a representative sample of 14,670 individuals aged 18 y and over. A subgroup of subjects with a body mass index (BMI)≥30 kg/m2 was compared with a control group of normal-weight individuals (BMI 18.5–25 kg/m2) matched on age, gender and education level.

MEASUREMENTS: Self-reported weight and height used to calculate individual body mass index and health expenditures in a 3 month period, and morbidity as declared by respondents to the national household survey and verified on medical records.

RESULTS: The direct cost attributable to obesity (BMI≥30 kg/m2) was estimated to be in the range 4.2–8.7 billion French Francs (FF) in 1992 value, that is between 0.7 and 1.5% of total health expenditures.

CONCLUSION: These results were of the same order of magnitude as similar estimates obtained by a top-down approach for the same year and setting.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. World Health Organisation . Obesity, preventing and managing the global epidemic WHO, Geneva 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Martin LF, Hunter S, Mac D, Lauve RM, O'Leary JP . Severe obesity: Exepnsive to society, frustrating to treat, but important to confront S Med J 1995 88 (9): 895–902.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Koopmanschap MA, Van Roijen L, Bonneux L, Bonsel GJ, Rutten FFH, Van der Maas PJ . The Technology Assessment Methods Project Team. Cost of diseases in international perspective Eur J Public Health 1994 4 (4): 258–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Seidell JC . The impact of obesity on health status: Some implications for health care costs Int J Obes 1995 19 (Suppl 6): S13–S16.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Rissanen AM . The economic and psychosocial consequences of obesity Ciba Found Symp 1996 201: 194–201.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Hughes D, McGuire A . A review of the economic analysis of obesity Br Med Bull 1997 53: 253–263.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Levy E, Levy P, Le Pen C, Basdevant A . The economic cost of obesity: The French situation Int J Obes 1995 19: 788–792.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Swinburn B, Ashton T, Gillespie J, Cox B, Menon A, Simmons D, Birkbeck J . Health care costs of obesity in New Zealand Int J Obes 1997 21: 891–896.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. West R . Obesity OHE Publication 112 1994 48 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Wolf AM, Colditz GA . Socio and economic effects of body weight in the United States Am J Clin Nutr 1996 63 (Suppl): S466–S469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Seidell J, Deerenberg I . Obesity in Europe—prevalence and consequences for use of medical care Pharmacoeconomics 1994 5 (Suppl): S38–S44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Colditz GA . Economic costs of obesity Am J Clin Nutr 1992 55 (Suppl): S503–S507.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Quesenberry CP, Caan B, Jacobson A . Obesity, health services use, and health care costs among members of a health maintenance organization Arch Intern Med 1998 158: 466–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Sermet C . Enquête sur la santé et les soins médicaux 1991–1992: méthodologie CREDES 1993 965: 139.

    Google Scholar 

  15. Stunhard AJ, Sorensen TIA . Obesity and socioeconomic status—a complex relation New Engl J Med 1993 329 (14): 1036–1037.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Soba J, Stunhard AJ . Socio-economic status and obesity: A review of the literature Phychol Bull 1989 105: 260–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. INSEE . Recensement de la Population, Annuaire des Statistiques Sanitaires et Sociales INSEE Paris 1992.

  18. SESI . Comptes Nationaux de la Santé. Ministére des Affaires Sociales, de la Santé et de la Ville: Paris June 1993.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by an unrestricted grant from Roche France Laboratories.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cemka, 43 Boulevard Maréchal Joffre, Bourg-la-Reine, 92340

    B Detournay, F Fagnani, M Phillippo & C Pribil

  2. INSERM Unité 21/258, Villejuif

    MA Charles & E Eschwège

  3. CREDES, Paris

    C Sermet

  4. Hôtel-Dieu, Paris, France

    A Basdevant

Authors
  1. B Detournay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. F Fagnani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M Phillippo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C Pribil
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. MA Charles
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. C Sermet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. A Basdevant
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. E Eschwège
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to B Detournay.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Detournay, B., Fagnani, F., Phillippo, M. et al. Obesity morbidity and health care costs in France: an analysis of the 1991–1992 Medical Care Household Survey. Int J Obes 24, 151–155 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801099

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801099

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links