ESTIMATING INDIRECT ECONOMIC COSTS OF OBESITY AMONG COLOMBIA’S WORKFORCE
Author(s)
Juan Sebastian Salazar, Econ1, María A. Barrios-Mercado, MSc, MD2, Andrés Garcia-Cuevas, PhD1, Alexander Moreno-Calderón, PhD1;
1Novo Nordisk, Bogotá, Colombia, 2Sapyens SAS BIC, Bogotá, Colombia
1Novo Nordisk, Bogotá, Colombia, 2Sapyens SAS BIC, Bogotá, Colombia
OBJECTIVES: In Colombia, obesity affects a substantial proportion of the adult population and imposes a burden on the health system and society due to direct healthcare costs and indirect costs arising from premature mortality, presenteeism, absenteeism, and temporary and permanent disability. The aim was to develop a method to estimate the indirect economic burden of obesity on the Colombian workforce.
METHODS: Obesity prevalence was estimated using the national social security registry database (SISPRO). Indirect costs were calculated using the human capital approach and following methodological recommendations from the Instituto de Evaluación Tecnológica en Salud (IETS). We assumed that adults with obesity (BMI > 30) participate in the formal labor market and that productivity losses can be valued using salary income stratified by education level. A 6.83% salary growth rate was applied, and costs were discounted at 3% over a 5‑year time horizon. Indirect costs included premature death, absenteeism, presenteeism, and temporary and permanent disability. Analyses were performed from the perspectives of the employer, the employee, and the public insurance system
RESULTS: Over a 5-year horizon, from the employee perspective indirect costs attributable to obesity were estimated as: premature death USD 6.73 million, permanent disability USD 7.45 million, and temporary disability USD 0.06 million. From the employer perspective, estimated costs were: presenteeism USD 10.61 million, absenteeism USD 4.31 million, and temporary disability USD 0.86 million. From the public insurance perspective, the estimated costs associated with temporary and permanent disability were USD 0.12 and USD 11.17 million, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of obesity-attributable indirect costs in Colombia differs from each perspective. This method could provide a framework for other middle-income countries to assess obesity burden in the workforce and social security system. Permanent disability represents the largest burden for employees and the public insurance system, whereas presenteeism is the main driver of costs for employers.
METHODS: Obesity prevalence was estimated using the national social security registry database (SISPRO). Indirect costs were calculated using the human capital approach and following methodological recommendations from the Instituto de Evaluación Tecnológica en Salud (IETS). We assumed that adults with obesity (BMI > 30) participate in the formal labor market and that productivity losses can be valued using salary income stratified by education level. A 6.83% salary growth rate was applied, and costs were discounted at 3% over a 5‑year time horizon. Indirect costs included premature death, absenteeism, presenteeism, and temporary and permanent disability. Analyses were performed from the perspectives of the employer, the employee, and the public insurance system
RESULTS: Over a 5-year horizon, from the employee perspective indirect costs attributable to obesity were estimated as: premature death USD 6.73 million, permanent disability USD 7.45 million, and temporary disability USD 0.06 million. From the employer perspective, estimated costs were: presenteeism USD 10.61 million, absenteeism USD 4.31 million, and temporary disability USD 0.86 million. From the public insurance perspective, the estimated costs associated with temporary and permanent disability were USD 0.12 and USD 11.17 million, respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The distribution of obesity-attributable indirect costs in Colombia differs from each perspective. This method could provide a framework for other middle-income countries to assess obesity burden in the workforce and social security system. Permanent disability represents the largest burden for employees and the public insurance system, whereas presenteeism is the main driver of costs for employers.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
EE429
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Disease
No Additional Disease & Conditions/Specialized Treatment Areas, SDC: Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity)