Comparison of health-care expenditure of obese and non-obese patients attending a tertiary health-care institution in Northwest, Nigeria

• Main Authors: Musa Usman Umar, Abubakar Sanusi, Muhammad Rayyan Garba
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2016-01-01
• Series: Sahel Medical Journal
• Subjects: Health-care expenditure; indirect cost; inpatient cost; obesity; outpatient cost
• Online Access: http://www.smjonline.org/article.asp?issn=1118-8561;year=2016;volume=19;issue=3;spage=125;epage=130;aulast=Umar

Background: The World Health Organization estimates that obesity is responsible for between 2% and 7% of global health-care spending. Obesity has a huge public health significance considering that about a third of the global population is either overweight or obese, and Nigerian's obesity burden is also increasing. The aim of the study is to compare the pattern of health-care expenditure between obese and nonobese. Materials and Methods: This was a comparative study of patients attending the general outpatient department of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano, Nigeria. A questionnaire to assess the pattern of health-care expenditure based on the Andersen Behavioral Model was adopted for this study. Results: Of the 325 participants, 117 (36%) were obese, while 208 (64%) were nonobese. Obese individuals had statistically significant higher median cost of total inpatient cost at ₦88000 compared to ₦45000 (P = 0.015). The total outpatient cost was statistically higher for obese compared to nonobese (P < 0.001), so also was the cost of physician consultation (P < 0.001), laboratory and radiological tests (P < 0.001), cost of medication (P < 0.001), and alternative health-care services (P = 0.003). For indirect cost, the difference in mean number of days given excused duty from work and unable to carry out household activities were statistically higher for obese than nonobese (t-test = 3.068; P = 0.002) and (t = test = 5.995; P < 0.001), respectively. Conclusion: In this study, the cost differential of obesity compared to nonobese individuals was substantial, and this is likely to place a lot of economic burden to the individual and the health-care system.