EFN

Being called an epidemic, rising obesity in the U.S. is putting a significant strain on the already troubled heath care system. Obesity costs Americans $147 billion annually and makes up approximately 10 percent of the total cost of health care.

The first conference on obesity control and prevention, attended by health educators, policy analysts, epidemiologists, dietitians, etc., and sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls at a time when the ordinary American packs an extra 23 pounds and the country, collectively, is close to 4.6 billion pounds overweight.

Obesity is specified as being 20% above normal body weight. About 72 million Americans, or one third of the adult population is considered obese.

The U.S. medical system spends approximately twice as much dealing with preventable health conditions caused by obesity than it does on cancer

Obese people spend around $1,500 more annually on health care, or 41 percent, more than a person with average weight does. The main reason for this disparity is the costs of prescription drugs, with the normal-weight population prescription drug costs averaging about $700 a year, and obese people spending $1,300 a year on prescriptions, an 80-percent increase.

U.S. Congress reserved $1 billion for prevention and wellness as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (stimulus law). On Tuesday, Sebelius announced that much of the money will be spent on a prevention initiative developed by the CDC and the Office of Public Health and Science.

“We aren’t ready to officially announce this initiative, but we expect that a significant amount of the money will go to help states and communities attack obesity and other public health challenges,” Sebelius said in remarks prepared for a CDC-sponsored “Weight of the Nation” conference.