Ohio is second in nation for obesity-related health costs

Historical data of the extent and costs of obesity across states show that Ohio is second in the nation (Oklahoma as first) in obesity-related health care costs. Ohio has more to gain by reducing obesity than most other states.

Ohio is tied with Kentucky for second in the nation for the highest annual health care costs related to obesity.  It is projected that, by 2018, over 50% of the adult population in the states of Ohio, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Maryland, Kentucky and South Dakota will be obese.

Dr. Kenneth Thorpe, a professor in Health Policy and Management from Emory University in Atlanta, has studied years of behavioral data collected annually across the United States. His study, "The Future Costs of Obesity:
National and State Estimates of the Impact of Obesity on Direct Health Care Expenses", examines several data sources to determine the report the level of obesity in 2008 and the projected costs attributable to obesity in 2013 and 2018.

The collaborative report was funded by the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention. The Partnership for Prevention has released a summary of the findings related to the national health care costs related to obesity. These costs will exceed one-third of a trillion dollars in 2018.

Other press reports featuring this story are in the Cleveland Plain Dealer and  the Huffington Post online.