Excess weight costs Maine $2.5 billion

By Portland Press Herald Staff Report

Physical inactivity and excess weight cost Maine more than $2.5 billion a year in higher medical costs, workers’ compensation and lost productivity, according to a study of the impact of health on the economy that was released today.

The study looked at the economic costs, both direct and indirect, of inactive lifestyles, being overweight and obesity. The report, sponsored by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and MaineHealth, was prepared by Dr. David Chenowith of Chenowith & Associates, a North Carolina-based econometrics consulting firm.

The report said that if current trends continue, the costs associated with the three unhealthy conditions will rise to $3.1 billion annually by 2009. Since the report released today was based on 2004 data, that would mean an increase in costs of more than 21 percent over a five-year period.

The report also said that getting just 5 percent of inactive adults to engage in some physical activity would cut costs by $150 million a year.

This was found at Portland Press Herald.