Healthcare Cost of Overweight & Obesity in South Africa
2022
This analysis estimates the healthcare cost associated with treatment of weight-related conditions from the perspective of the South African public sector payer. The authors report that the total cost of overweight and obesity is estimated to be ZAR33,194 million in 2020, representing approximately 15% of government health expenditure and equivalent to 0.67% of GDP.
This analysis is an example of a bottom-up gross costing approach. The study draws South African data from multiple sources to estimate the direct healthcare cost of overweight and obesity based on local public sector tariffs and healthcare utilization patterns. The costs are estimated from a public sector payer perspective (i.e. government as the bearer/payer of the medical costs), using a time horizon of one year.
Healthcare Cost of Overweight & Obesity in South Africa
Source:
Boachie MK, Thsehla E, Mustapha Immurana M et al. Estimating the Healthcare Cost of Overweight and Obesity in South Africa. Global Health Action 2022; 15. https://doi.org/10.1080/16549716.2022.2045092