Researchers with Duke University predict the lifetime medical costs for an obese American 10-year-old will be about $19,000 more than those for a normal-weight child.
The study published this week in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, was based on six previous studies conducted within the past 15 years, and before May 2013, from which medical costs could be determined. All cost estimates were adjusted to 2012 dollars and reflected costs relative to that of a current 10-year-old child.
Medical costs for obese 10-year-olds nationwide could add up to an estimated $14 billion when you multiply it by the number of obese children that age, scientists said.
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Researchers determined incremental, lifetime medical costs for a 10-year-old obese child compared to that of a 10-year-old normal-weight child ranges from $12,660 to $19,630 when they adjusted weight gain through adulthood among normal weight children.
The scientists said more research is needed to include childhood obesity's indirect cost estimates, such as lost productivity.
