Body weight status and health‐care expenditure among university retirees in Beijing, China. (11th August 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Jiang, Ning; Yu, Hongjun; An, Ruopeng
• Is Part Of: Australasian journal on ageing. Volume 36:Number 3(2017)
• Page Start: E21
• Page End: E27
• Publication Date: 2017-08-11
• Subjects: aged -- health‐care costs -- obesity; Older people -- Periodicals; Older people -- Australia -- Periodicals; Old age -- Periodicals; Geriatrics -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Pacific Area -- Periodicals; 618.97
• DOI: 10.1111/ajag.12453
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1440-6381

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: This study examined the impact of overweight and obesity on health‐care expenditure among university retirees in Beijing, China. Methods: Annual health surveys of retirees were conducted at Tsinghua University during 2011–2016. Individual random‐effect regressions were performed to estimate incremental health‐care expenditures attributable to overweight/obesity, adjusting for various individual characteristics. Results: Compared to their normal‐weight counterparts, obesity was associated with an increase in annual out‐of‐pocket expenditure on outpatient care by 27%, inpatient care 19% and medication 15%, and an increase in annual total out‐of‐pocket health‐care expenditure by 33%. Overweight was associated with an increase in annual out‐of‐pocket expenditure on inpatient care by 13%, and an increase in annual total out‐of‐pocket health‐care expenditure by 13%. The impact of obesity on health‐care expenditure was statistically significant among men but not women. Conclusion: Overweight, and obesity in particular, was associated with substantial increases in out‐of‐pocket health‐care expenditures among Chinese older adults.