While we all know the effects of smoking and obesity on health. Here is
an interesting report from Japan on the financial costs to the
individual who smokes &/or is overweight.
Fat, lazy smokers pay more in bills
Asahi Shimbun
Overweight people who smoke and avoid exercise pay 1.35 times more in
medical costs than their
health-conscious counterparts, according to a Health and Welfare
Ministry survey obtained by Asahi
Shimbun.
People in the first group each paid an average 597,000 yen in medical
expenses during the 23-month survey
period. Those in the latter group paid 443,000 yen each, according to
the survey, the first of its kind in
Japan.
"In this survey, we can find how much we can reduce medical costs if we
stop smoking, take appropriate
exercises and keep at an appropriate weight," said Ichiro Tsuji, an
associate professor of public health at
Tohoku University, who headed the research team.
The research team conducted the survey on 56,000 people between the ages
of 40 and 79 who are
members of the national health insurance program and live in the area
covered by the Osaki public health
center in Miyagi Prefecture.
About 95 percent provided valid responses.
The number of times people received medical treatment and the size of
their medical bills in the survey area
are almost the same as the national average.
According to the survey, smokers paid an average 522,000 yen in medical
costs during the survey period
from January 1995 through November 1996. Nonsmokers forked out 492,000
yen.
The survey also showed that the number of cigarettes smoked correlates
with the size of the medical bills.
For example, those who smoke 14 cigarettes or less a day paid 513,000
yen, while those who smoke 30
cigarettes or more paid 552,000 yen.
Concerning exercise, those who walk more than an hour every day paid an
average 447,000 yen, while
those who walk between 30 minutes to 60 minutes paid 529,000 yen. People
who walk less than 30 minutes
paid 590,000 yen.
Hefty people paid a hefty figure for their medical bills--520,000 yen on
average. However, thin people paid
the same amount.
The number was 6 percent higher than the figure for those at an
appropriate weight.
The fat part of the survey was based on the Body Mass Index (BMI), which
measures the degree of a
person's body fat. In the survey, those with a BMI of 25 or larger were
labeled fat, while those considered
thin had a BMI less than 22.
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