Table 2.
Sources of Heterogeneity in Cost of Obesity Studies
| Aggregated vs stratified (i.e., multiple) cost estimates |
| All ages (n = 12) vs age-specific (n= 21) |
| Both genders (n = 22) vs gender-specific (n = 11) |
| All obesity (n = 19) vs obesity class-specific (n = 11)* |
| Standard (n = 21) vs nonstandard (n = 12) BMI levels used to define overweight/obesity |
| Estimates based on costs (n = 9) vs expenditures (n = 11) vs charges (n = 6) versus mixed reporting (n = 7) |
| National cost estimates (n = 7) vs per-person estimates (n = 26) |
| Estimates made for 1 year (n = 20) vs estimates made for multiple years (n = 13) |
| Year in which cost is expressed |
| Studies with national samples (n = 11) vs those with less representative samples (n = 13) vs attributable risk design (n = 4) vs decision modeling (n = 5) |
| Estimates for all adults (n = 12) vs estimates restricted to specific age groups (n = 21) |
| All health care costs (n = 24) vs costs for putatively obesity-related conditions only (n = 9) |
| Adjusted (n = 24) or unadjusted (n = 9) for characteristics of study participants |
*
Among studies reporting costs for obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2)