The so-called “core patient base” that is seen by U.S. doctors is made up of Baby Boomers.
And a large percentage of those Baby Boomer patients, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, are being treated for obesity.
A data brief issued by the National Center for Health Statistics shows that the 45-and-older crowd made up 33 percent of the U.S. population in 1998, but 38 percent in 2008. About 49 percent of doctor’s-office visits were focused on providing care for this group in 1998, compared with 57 percent in 2008. The group was prescribed 60 percent of medications given to patients during visits in 1998, compared with 70 percent in 2008.
An American Medical News report says a lot of that care was devoted to obesity issues.
“Researchers suspect that the obesity epidemic means that some conditions are becoming more common for these patients,” said the report.
“The Baby Boomers are aging and bringing with them more chronic conditions and a greater need for physician services,” Donald Cherry, the brief’s lead author and an NCHS statistician, told amednews.com.
As defined by WebMD:
“Obesity is an excess proportion of total body fat. A person is considered obese when his or her weight is 20% or more above normal weight. The most common measure of obesity is the body mass index or BMI. A person is considered overweight if his or her BMI is between 25 and 29.9; a person is considered obese if his or her BMI is over 30.”
For example, if you are 5-foot-8, you are considered obese if you weigh 197 pounds or more. Obesity has been linked to any number of ailments: diabetes, heart disease, gall bladder disease, and cancer.
According to previous studies, obesity among Baby Boomers has increased dramatically over the years — to almost 40 percent of the cohort. Half of Baby Boomers have high blood pressure, and most of that is linked to the overweight issues of obesity.
“Controlling high blood pressure and obesity is crucial for health, and particularly for Baby Boomers as they grow older,” Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt, said in a HubPages article. “It’s time to act against both conditions so more Americans can live longer, healthier lives.”
InsuranceNews.net said the effects of obesity can also be felt in the economy.
“The impact of obesity on the health care economy is already being felt, according to the CDC, in the form of direct and indirect cost. Direct medical costs of obesity and health problems associated with it include preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services,” it said.
“The indirect costs come from income lost from decreased productivity, restricted activity, absenteeism, and bed days (morbidity costs) as well as the value of future income lost by premature death (mortality cost).”
As for what to do about obesity, WebMD suggests a long-term plan in conjunction with a doctor.
“A reasonable goal might be to begin making lifestyle changes by increasing physical activity and limiting calories,” it said.
Paul Briand’s
About the Author
Paul Briand spent 33 years in newspaper journalism. Based in New Hampshire, he now writes about issues of interest to Baby Boomers.
Read even more of Paul Briand’s published articles here.
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