| 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. |
