Gender and the Burden of Disease Attributable to Obesity

OBJECTIVES: We estimated the burden of disease in the United States attributable to obesity by gender, with life expectancy, quality-adjusted life expectancy, years of life lost annually, and quality-adjusted life years lost annually as outcome measures. METHODS: We obtained burden of disease estimates for adults falling into the following body-mass index categories: normal weight (23 to or = 30). We analyzed the 2000 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to obtain health-related quality-of-life scores and the 1990-1992 National Health Interview Survey linked to National Death Index data through the end of 1995 for mortality. RESULTS: Overweight men and women lost 270,000 and 1.8 million quality-adjusted life years, respectively, relative to their normal-weight counterparts. Obese men and women lost 1.9 million and 3.4 million quality-adjusted life years, respectively, per year. Much of the burden of disease among overweight and obese women arose from lower health-related quality of life and late life mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Relative to men, women suffer a disproportionate burden of disease attributable to overweight and obesity, mostly because of differences in health-related quality of life.