Health service utilization and direct healthcare costs associated with obesity in older adult population in Ghana
Bibliographic Data
Obesity is a major risk factor for many chronic diseases and disabilities, with severe implications on morbidity and mortality among older adults. With an increasing prevalence of obesity among older adults in Ghana, it has become necessary to develop cost-effective strategies for its management and prevention. However, developing such strategies is challenging as body mass index (BMI)-specific utilization and costs required for cost-effectiveness analysis are not available in this population. Therefore, this study examines the associations between health services utilization as well as direct healthcare costs and overweight (BMI ≥25.00 and <30.00 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥30.00 kg/m2) among older adults in Ghana. Data were used from a nationally representative, multistage sample of 3350 people aged 50+ years from the World Health Organization’s Study on global AGEing and adult health (WHO-SAGE; 2014/15). Health service utilization was measured by the number of health facility visits over a 12-month period. Direct costs (2017 US dollars) included out-of-pocket payments and the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) claims. Associations between utilization and BMI were examined using multivariable zero-inflated negative binomial regressions; and between costs and BMI using multivariable two-part regressions. Twenty-three percent were overweight and 13% were obese. Compared with normal-weight participants, overweight and obesity were associated with 75% and 159% more inpatient admissions, respectively. Obesity was also associated with 53% additional outpatient visits. One in five of the overweight and obese population had at least one chronic disease, and having chronic disease was associated with increased outpatient utilization. The average per person total costs for overweight was $78 and obesity was $132 compared with $35 for normal weight. The NHIS bore approximately 60% of the average total costs per person expended in 2014/15. Overweight and obese groups had significantly higher total direct healthcare costs burden of $121 million compared with $64 million for normal weight in the entire older adult Ghanaian population. Compared with normal weight, the total costs per person associated with overweight increased by 73% and more than doubled for obesity. Even though the total prevalence of overweight and obesity was about half of that of normal weight, the sum of their cost burden was almost doubled. Implementing weight reduction measures could reduce health service utilization and costs in this population
Body mass index · Environmental health · Health care · Obesity · Overweight · Population · Demography · Global Health Care Issues · Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology · Health disparities and outcomes · Medicine · Gerontology
Annual transition probabilities of overweight and obesity in older adults
The effects of smoking, regular drinking, and unhealthy weight on health care utilization in China
Supply and Demand-Related Decisive Factors in the Utilization of Non-Medical Community Healthcare Services among Elderly Chinese
Impact of overweight and obesity on life expectancy, quality-adjusted life years and lifetime costs in the adult population of Ghana
Principled missing data methods for researchers
Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 Countries over 25 Years
Data Resource Profile
Annual Medical Spending Attributable To Obesity: Payer-And Service-Specific Estimates
Health and economic burden of the projected obesity trends in the USA and the UK
Body-mass index and cause-specific mortality in 900 000 adults
Estimating log models
Predictors of public and private healthcare utilization and associated health system responsiveness among older adults in Ghana
Assessing the catastrophic effects of out-of-pocket healthcare payments prior to the uptake of a nationwide health insurance scheme in Ghana
Choosing Between the Sample-Selection Model and the Multi-Part Model
Obesity and health expenditures
Chronic non-communicable diseases and the challenge of universal health coverage
Using concept mapping in the development of the EU-PAD framework (EUropean-Physical Activity Determinants across the life course)
Estimating Utility Values for Health States of Overweight and Obese Individuals Using the SF-36
Health service use, out-of-pocket payments and catastrophic health expenditure among older people in India
Estimating wealth effects without expenditure data—or tears
Estimating Wealth Effects without Expenditure Data-or Tears
Revisiting the Behavioral Model and Access to Medical Care
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,67 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2021 (2) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |