THE CONTROL OF OBESITY IN JAPAN FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT

2000 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 11672246
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Medical sociology
• Research Institution: AICHI MEDICAL UNIVERSITY
• Principal Investigator: OHNO Kazuko AICH MEDICAL UNIV., RAGIOLOGY, INSTRACTOR, 医学部, 講師 (30247689)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): FUTAGAMI Rituko MATUSAKA UNIV., FACULTY OF POLICY SCIENCE, ACCISTANT PROFESSOR, 政治経済学部, 助教授 (50190111)
• Project Period (FY): 1999 – 2000
• Keywords: obesity / economic cost / hyper tension / DM / cardiovascular disease

Research Abstract

Recently, obesity has dramatically increased in Japan, and many kinds of complications have increased accordingly. Our prospective study of weight control planning and performance is mainly conducted for the abovementioned reasons and the medical cost per adult because of this problem. We discussed which is more cost-effective, the cost of weight control or the cost of therapy for resulting complications.
Since 1992, in the Kinetic Therapy Center of Aichi Medical University we have scheduled the adult planning for a weight control school and from the total cost of the school we calculated the mean cost for each person. The costs differ greatly for a newly built or remodeled pubic school, the ranging between 8,200 and 62,000 yen per month/person. In the weight control school, successful cases were about 80%.
Next, we considered the cost benefit rate, using PAF population attribute functions from the differences in morbidity rate of hypertension, DM and cardiovascular disease between persons with normal weight and obesity. If we were able to prevent just these diseases, about 8 thousand billion yen in yearly medical cost benefits would be gained. The medical cost per month would be about 8,500 yen in the mild stage of hyperlipemia and one hundred fifty million yen for myocardial infarction. These costs are obviously higher than those for weight control.
Moreover, other obesity-related disease include cholelitiasis and brain infarction. The abovementioned disease require long year of costly treatment. We thus conclude the promotion of weight control schools for effective weight reduction will yield many benefits to society.