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Burden of Obesity Infographic
Interactive data visualizations showing the health and economic costs of living with obesity.
Obesity Impacts:
Quality of Life, Well-being, and Work Productivity
Obesity Impairs Psychological Well-being
Obesity leads to1:
Lower self-esteem
Higher body image
dissatisfaction
Body shape concerns
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Self-esteem
Self-esteem is lower in women considered overweight or obese compared with women with standard BMI1,a,b
Body Image Dissatisfaction
Each increase in BMI category increases body image dissatisfaction1,a,c
Body Shape Concerns
Body shape concerns are higher in women considered overweight and increase further in women with obesity1,a,d
Individuals who are overweight or obese may experience weight stigma2
There are a variety of consequences associated with experiencing weight stigma, including:
Poor body image and greater likelihood of psychiatric disorders, including a major depressive episode2,3
Increase in calories consumed and avoidance of exercise4,5
BMI = body mass index (kg/m2)
aOrthogonal contrasts using linear regression adjusting for age and treatment group; women with obesity or considered overweight are compared with women considered standard weight.
bComparisons between normal weight and overweight or obese; P<0.001.
cComparisons between normal weight and overweight or obese, non-obese and obese, and obesity I and obesity II; P<0.001.
dComparisons between normal weight and overweight or obese and non-obese and obese; P<0.001.
1. Vieira PN et al. Obes Facts. 2012;5(6):795-805. 2. Puhl RM et al. Clin Diabetes. 2016;34(1):44-50. 3. Hatzenbuehler ML et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009;17(11):2033-2039. 4. Schvey NA et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011;19(10):1957-1962. 5. Vartanian LR and Novak SA. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011;19(4):757-762.
Obesity Impairs Health-Related Quality of Life
Obesity leads to1:
Lower weight-related
quality of life
Lower physical health-related
quality of life
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Weight-Related HRQoL
Each increase in BMI category decreases weight-related quality of lifea,b
HRQoL: Physical Health
Physical health-related quality of life is lower in women with obesity compared with non-obese womena,c
HRQoL: Mental Health
Mental health scores are similar across weight groups
BMI = body mass index (kg/m2); HRQoL = health-related quality of life.
aOrthogonal contrasts using linear regression adjusting for age and treatment group; women with obesity or considered overweight are compared with women considered standard weight.
bComparisons between normal weight and overweight or obese, non-obese and obese, and class I obesity and class II obesity; P<0.001.
cComparison between non-obese and obese; P=0.001.
Vieira PN et al. Obes Facts. 2012;5:795-805.
Obesity-Related Complications Impact the Ability to Work
Obesity with comorbid
conditions leads toa:
Greater work
productivity loss
Higher absenteeism
and presenteeism
Greater activity
impairment
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Work Productivity/Activity Impairment Scoresb,c
With each additional comorbidity, mean scores across each measure increase
BMI = body mass index (kg/m2)
aOverweight or obese individuals (BMI >27 kg/m2) with 1, 2, or 3 related complications, compared with overweight or obese individuals (BMI >27 kg/m2) with 0 complications.bData obtained from the 2006 National Health and Wellness Survey; analysis specific to work productivity was limited to respondents <65 years of age and employed full-time.
cData show self-reported work productivity and activity impairment scores among overweight or obese individuals (BMI >27 kg/m2) with 0, 1, 2, or 3 related complications.
dObesity-related complications include type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypertension, and high cholesterol.
Kannan H et al. J Occup Environ Med. 2008;50(5):542-549.
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