| Unlike
their slimmer colleagues, overweight individuals are faced with
a myriad of difficulties. From frequent visits to the doctor’s
office to extra fees in air travel, overweight people are imposed
with numerous living costs. Diabetes, osteoarthritis and a host
of other weight-related disorders/medical conditions are the extra
costs and inconveniences faced by the overweight.
A report released
in the journal of Health Affairs analyzed the expenses of health
care for obese adults to the “normal-weight” of other adults.
The finding showed that overweight people incurred more than
5o percent in medical and lifestyle expenses then slimmer counterparts.
For instance, obese people pay more for private health insurance
than adults who were deemed to be a normal-weight. Today, the
price of healthy insurance has tripled.
Another study published
in the Journal of Economics and Human Biology found a direct
correlation in costs for people who lost, gained weight with
gaining or losing financial independence. Data was compiled
from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' National Longitudinal
Survey of Youth (NLSY).
Body mass index or
(BMI) is an approximated measure of excessive weight an individual
carries. The analysis determined that reducing one BMI by almost
six points could result could improve one’s financial status
by more than four thousand dollars. Moreover, the study noted
that the more a person reduced their BMI, the more the subject
could enhance their wealth. For instance, participants who reduced
they BMI by 10 points, could enhance their personal finances
by as much as a $12,000.
Overall, a single
-unit of increase in an individual's BMI was related to an 8
percent or $1,300 wealth reduction; however, the changes are
contingent upon a person’s gender and ethnicity. |
