Economics Essay Sample about the Obesity

Which are the Effects of Obesity on the Global Economy?

Obesity is a worldwide epidemic which has both health-related and economic implications (Flegal, Carroll, Kit, & Ogden, 2012). As obesity rates have trended upwards within the last several decades, the costs of treating this problem and its related co-morbidities (e. g., diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease) have risen substantially (Flegal et al., 2012). In america, approximately 67 percent of most adults are believed obese, and much more than 2 billion individuals worldwide could be classified as obese based on the Body Mass Index scale (BMI, Hammond & Levine, 2010).

Although causes of these high obesity rates are fairly intuitive, global economic costs are complex and multifaceted. Along with direct medical costs to both local and worldwide economies, obesity and its co-morbidities can also bring about losses in workforce productivity and expenses related to human capital (Hammond & Levine, 2010). A recently available report by the McKinsey Global Institute on the direct and in-direct costs of obesity on the global economy indicated that condition is in charge of more than $2 trillion every year (Dobbs et al., 2014). As the obesity rate is likely to rise from about 30 to 50 percent by 2030, these costs will probably continue to increase (Dobbs et al., 2014).

Obesity is also in charge of nearly five percent of most deaths global, and its related expenditures are approximately add up to smoking and war (Dobbs et al., 2014). Since the causes of obesity generally begin during youth, addressing these substantial costs will require a longitudinal approach aimed at modifying youth life style behaviors like diet and physical activity (Reilly & Kelly, 2010). While interventions targeted at treating obesity and its related causes may also prove to be expensive for the global economy, the expected rise in obesity rates and associated expenses truly justify increased efforts of this type (Reilly & Kelly, 2010).

Works Cited

Dobbs, R., Sawers, C., Thompson, F., Manyika, J., Woetzel, J. R., Child, P., & Spatharou, A. (2014). Overcoming obesity: An initial economic analysis. Nyc: McKinsey World wide Institute.
Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Kit, B. K., & Ogden, C. L. (2012). Prevalence of obesity and trends in the distribution of body mass index in our midst adults, 1999-2010. Journal of the American Medical Association, 307(5), 491-497.
Hammond, R. A., & Levine, R. (2010). The economic impact of obesity in america. Journal of Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity, 3, 285-295.
Reilly, J. J., & Kelly, J. (2011). Long-term impact of over weight and obesity in childhood and adolescence on morbidity and premature mortality in adulthood: systematic review. International Journal of Obesity, 35(7), 891-898.