Study: Ohio ranked high in medical costs related to obesity

A new study has found that obesity costs some states as much as $15 billion a year, and Ohio ranks high in the percentage of medical costs associated with obesity (Source: “Obesity Costs Some States $15 Billion Per Year,” My Health News Daily, Aug. 22, 2011).

In fact, Ohio was one of just 10 states in which more than 10 percent of medical costs are attributable to obesity, according the study that was published in the journal Obesity.

"This study shows that the toll that obesity takes goes beyond impairing the health of individuals to imposing a major burden on the entire health care system," said study researcher Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

The Health Policy Institute of Ohio has recently adopted a three-year strategic plan that identifies four strategic objectives for informing health policy development in Ohio. One of those objectives is achieving and maintaining health and wellness for all Ohioans.