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. 2004 Sep;94(9):1587-91.
doi: 10.2105/ajph.94.9.1587.

Length of hospital stays among obese individuals

Claire Zizza  1 , Amy H Herring, June Stevens, Barry M Popkin
Affiliations

Length of hospital stays among obese individuals

Claire Zizza et al. Am J Public Health. 2004 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: We examined lengths of hospital stay among individuals categorized according to weight status.

Methods: We used data from the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Epidemiologic Followup Survey to estimate length-of-stay differences.

Results: Individuals with body mass indexes (BMIs) of 35 kg/m2 or above, those with BMIs of 30 to 34 kg/m2, and those with BMIs of 25 to 29 kg/m2 had crude length-of-stay rates greater than those of normal-weight individuals. Association between BMI and length of stay varied over time.

Conclusions: Obese individuals experience longer hospital stays than normal-weight individuals.

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Figures

FIGURE 1—
FIGURE 1—
Lengths of stay (per 1000 person-years) among individuals classified by body mass index category according to National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute criteria: 1971–1992.
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