Economics of Obesity — Learning from the Past to Contribute to a Better Future

 Introduction 

The global obesity epidemic and its impact on global morbidity and mortality have been well reported [1–3]. Overweight and obesity have been steadily increasing globally over the last 30 years, and in many countries, such as Australia, elevated Body Mass Index (BMI) has overtaken high blood pressure and smoking to become the leading risk factor contributing to the burden of disease (responsible for 8.3% of the total Australian disease burden in 2010) [4]. The goals of managing the obesity epidemic and potentially reversing it are hinged on interdisciplinary collaborative efforts in research, policy development and intervention implementation by professionals from diverse disciplines and service sectors. One such discipline is health economics, which plays a varied role in both understanding the problem of obesity and in evaluating efforts to treat and prevent it. The aims of this paper are to review the potential contribution of health economics in understanding the problem of obesity and possible solutions. We also aim to outline the lessons learnt from priority setting studies in this area, review the gaps in the cost-effectiveness evidence base, and suggest areas for future research.

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