Obesity Canada's report urges urgent action as health, economic impacts of obesity grow
The economic burden of insufficient obesity treatment in Canada has reached $27.6bn, according to a recent report by Obesity Canada, Modelling the Cost of Inaction in Treating Obesity in Canada.
This figure represents a 20 percent increase over previous estimates, highlighting the substantial financial consequences of inaction. The report underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive approach to obesity treatment and prevention.
With nearly one in three Canadians living with obesity, the report underscores the severe impact of this chronic disease on individuals and society, emphasizing the need for a more comprehensive approach to its treatment.
The report outlines significant costs associated with obesity in Canada, including an incremental annual expense of $5.9bn on the healthcare system. This increase stems from the additional 19 million physician visits related to obesity management, among other healthcare needs.
However, the effects of untreated obesity extend beyond the healthcare sector.
Workplace productivity losses due to absenteeism, presenteeism, reduced productivity, and lower workforce participation result in an estimated annual cost of $21.7bn, a figure more than three times higher than the direct healthcare expenses.
Economic impacts also extend to government revenue, with premature deaths, lower workforce participation, and reduced income contributing to an estimated $5.1bn loss in income, sales, and business tax revenues.
The report further reveals that women in the workforce are disproportionately affected, with obesity-related challenges impacting their employment opportunities and income levels.
Ian Patton, director of Advocacy and Public Engagement at Obesity Canada and one of the report’s authors, stresses the importance of viewing obesity as a chronic disease.
“This report should be a collective wake-up call when it comes to how we view, treat and prevent obesity. It’s time to see it for what it is – a complex disease that requires comprehensive chronic disease management.”
Patton notes that obesity is linked to over 200 health conditions, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and various cancers. He highlights that it results from genetic, environmental, biological, behavioural, and social factors, rather than simply a lack of willpower.
Despite the availability of globally recognized Clinical Practice Guidelines, these are not widely implemented in Canada.
Currently, Canada’s healthcare system lacks adequate interdisciplinary supports for obesity management, which are outlined in treatment guidelines.
Less than 20 percent of Canadians with private drug benefit plans have access to Health Canada-approved obesity medications, and patients referred to bariatric surgery face wait times of up to eight years to meet a specialist or receive surgery.
Sean Wharton, an internal medicine physician and weight management specialist, states the need for early intervention, stating, “Public health policies that strive to prevent chronic medical conditions and ensure access to healthcare should be the expectation of all Canadians. Obesity is no different.”
He adds that investing in earlier interventions could disrupt the disease’s progression and prevent the extensive negative effects that extend beyond increased healthcare resource use.
Despite recognition by the Canadian Medical Association and the World Health Organization as a chronic disease, no Canadian province or territory formally acknowledges obesity as such.
Lisa Schaffer, executive director at Obesity Canada, advocates for a societal shift in perception, urging Canadians to see obesity beyond the confines of body mass index (BMI) and to address the widespread weight-bias and discrimination linked to this mindset.
Schaffer remarks, “As a society, we have to stop perpetuating the myth that obesity is about a big person with an unhealthy love for food or unwillingness to exercise. We need to see obesity through a lens that goes beyond body mass index (BMI) and dismantle the widespread weight-bias and weight-based discrimination that accompanies this mindset.”
In addition to these findings, the report also underscores the financial strain on long-term care, with over 10,000 seniors entering long-term care facilities in 2023 due to obesity-related diseases, costing $639m.
The Canadian workforce is also impacted, with 45 percent of adults with obesity and associated disabilities unable to work last year, posing potential costs to the Canadian Pension Plan.
Over the past decade, obesity-related deaths have led to the premature loss of approximately 45,200 workers, resulting in nearly $2bn in lost wages.
Women living with obesity face a 4 percent annual income gap compared to healthy-weight women, with a related income loss of nearly $3.8bn, and are 5.3 percent less likely to be employed. This employment gap is notably smaller for men, at only 0.3 percent.
Obesity Canada calls for urgent action to address the chronic nature of obesity, recognizing the broader social and economic impact it has on Canada’s population.
The organization advocates for investing in early obesity interventions and providing accessible treatment options as essential for improving both the health and economic wellbeing of Canadians.
