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. 2018 Aug 24:10:457-475.
doi: 10.2147/CEOR.S157673. eCollection 2018.

Obesity in Germany and Italy: prevalence, comorbidities, and associations with patient outcomes

Marco DiBonaventura  1 , Antonio Nicolucci  2 , Henrik Meincke  3 , Agathe Le Lay  3 , Janine Fournier  4
Affiliations

Obesity in Germany and Italy: prevalence, comorbidities, and associations with patient outcomes

Marco DiBonaventura et al. Clinicoecon Outcomes Res. .

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated the association between body mass index (BMI) and three comorbid conditions (type 2 diabetes [T2D], prediabetes, and hypertension) on humanistic and economic outcomes.

Patients and methods: This retrospective observational study collected data from German (n=14286) and Italian (n=9433) respondents to the 2013 European Union National Health and Wellness Survey, a cross-sectional, nationally representative online survey of the general adult population. Respondents were grouped, based on their self-reported BMI, and stratified into three other comorbid conditions (T2D, prediabetes, and hypertension). Generalized linear models, controlling for demographics and health characteristics, tested the relationship between BMI and health status, work productivity loss, and health care resource utilization. Indirect and direct costs were calculated based on overall work productivity loss and health care resource utilization, respectively. The same generalized linear models were also performed separately for those with T2D, prediabetes, and hypertension.

Results: The sample of German respondents was 50.16% male, with a mean age of 46.68 years (SD =16.05); 35.24% were classified as overweight and 21.29% were obese. In Italy, the sample was 48.34% male, with a mean age of 49.27 years (SD =15.75); 34.85% were classified as overweight, and 12.89% were obese. Multivariable analyses demonstrated that, in both countries, higher BMI was associated with worse humanistic outcomes and only those from Germany also reported greater direct and indirect costs. Differences in the impact of BMI on outcomes by country were additionally found when the sample was stratified into those with prediabetes, T2D, and hypertension.

Conclusion: The high percentage of patients who are overweight or obese in Germany and Italy remains problematic. Better elucidating the impact of overweight or obese BMI, as well as the incremental effects of relevant comorbid conditions, on humanistic and economic outcomes is critical to quantify the multifaceted burden on individuals and society.

Keywords: body mass index; costs; health care resource utilization; health status; weight loss; work productivity loss.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure MD was an employee of Kantar Health, who was a paid consultant to Novo Nordisk in connection with the study design, analysis and interpretation of data, writing of the article, and the publication submission decision. ALL was an employee of Novo Nordisk at the time of study implementation, and HM and JF are the employees of Novo Nordisk, who funded the study and provided direction into the study design, analysis and interpretation of data, writing of the article, and the publication submission decision. AN holds a consultancy role with Novo Nordisk, who helped with the interpretation of results, reviewed the writing of the article, and provided insights on the publication submission decision. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Prevalence of obesity across subgroups in Germany. Abbreviation: T2D, type 2 diabetes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of obesity across subgroups in Italy. Abbreviation: T2D, type 2 diabetes.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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