Innovative research method
A study to compare the harmfulness obesity and active smoking a cigarette conducted by James P. Moriarty and his colleagues at Mayo Clinic, located in the United States, in Rochester, Minnesota. It took part in this study 30 people. What is new in this experiment is the fact that the researchers did not focus directly on the health of the subjects, i.e. disorders that occur in them, which are related to or are the consequences of obesity and nicotine addiction, but analyzed the costs incurred for health care per person during the year.
Obesity and cigarette smoking – a cost comparison
The researchers’ results were surprising. Both obesity and cigarette smoking have been associated with excess health care costs. It turned out, however, that in the case of obese patients, the state borne more costs for health care on behalf of these people than in the case of people who were addicted to smoking. Compared to non-smokers, the average amounts spent on healthcare were approx $ 1 higher “in favor” of people addicted to smoking. On the other hand, when comparing the costs spent on people with a healthy body weight, compared with obese people, the costs for the latter group of patients turned out to be increased by $ 1. Moreover, in the case of severely obese people, these sums exceeded the costs incurred by people with normal weight even by $ 5 during the year.
The importance of research results
The costs analyzed by the researchers can be directly translated into the consequences of obesity and smoking. The size of the amount is directly linked to the number of complications. For example, researchers point to enormous costs for severely obese patients, which is why the disease is associated with many other accompanying health problems. Obesity is, according to them, a risk factor for the development of many chronic diseaseswhich is reflected precisely in the increase in costs incurred for health care.
Instead of treatment – prophylaxis
In order to reduce the cost of treatment, Americans focus on prophylaxis. Many programs have been introduced to promote and assist with quitting smokingand the importance of the programs is underlined fitness In this way, the aim is not only to reduce the costs of health care, but to a great extent contributes to the improvement of the health condition of individual people.
Based on: http://www.sciencedaily.com