How is the global economy affected by high obesity rates? essay sample

Obesity is one of the greatest social problems generated by humans. Its spread can be compared to smoking or armed violence and, besides, no country in the world has succeeded to curb their national obesity rates since the 1980s. According to the new study conducted by the research group at the University of Washington, there are more than 2 billion of obese or overweight people in the world. Most of them live in developing countries with emerging economies. The US still remains to be the global leader in obesity with at least 35 percent of adults considered to be overweight.

As obesity is constantly in the spotlight, it appeared that we pay for it not only with our health.

Being obese comes at a heavy cost to governments, employers, and for all overweight people in the first place. The expenditures are linked to treating obesity as well as diabetes, heart disease, and other related conditions. These spending steadily increase the cost of healthcare, particularly in the US, affecting the revenue of corporations and purchasing power of individuals. No wonder, people started spending more on medical services, but it also means that their productivity decreased proportionally.

At some point, obesity ceased to be a personal problem or the point of beauty. Excessive weight drags more serious conditions as it grows, and life becomes impossible without a further medical intrusion. Its costs naturally distress economies of the obese who can neither produce nor spend as much as they want.