Highlighting the Economic Impact of Improved Obesity Management

Obesity is now one of the chronic diseases that best poses some healthcare and economic challenges. In Andalusia, where more than 1.25 million people suffer from obesity, the figure could reach one and a half million by 2030. The report ‘The Social Value of Better Obesity Control in Spain’, prepared by the Weber Foundation for Lilly, reveals that a comprehensive approach not only transforms quality of life, but can also alleviate its impact on the sustainability of the healthcare system.

The document, presented in Seville, analyzes the cost of complications associated with excess weight (cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory, among others). Thus, the annual cost of a patient with obesity and multiple pathologies can reach 18,233 euros. If intervened in time and a moderate weight reduction of between 5% and 10% is achieved, the cost drops to 15,235 euros. In cases of greater control, with weight losses of between 20% and 25%, the figure drops to 8,269 euros. This represents a net ‘social value’ or savings per person of between 2,998 and 9,964 euros annually.

Dr. Francisco Tinahones, head of Endocrinology at the Virgen de la Victoria Hospital in Málaga and president of the SEEN, reminds us that early intervention drastically reduces comorbidities. According to the report's data, an ideal approach to obesity in Andalusia would have generated a social return of up to 28.124 billion euros. For Federico Luis Moya, president of the National Association of People Living with Obesity (ANPO), “people with obesity face significant barriers, from mobility limitations that restrict physical and leisure activities, to difficulties in daily actions or access to public places, which directly impacts social participation and well-being”.