Is it worth up to $5,000
a year?
A
George Washington University study found that being obese may cost nearly $5,000
annually for women and over $2,500 annually for men.
So
where do these costs come from?
Medical
Costs
Ailments associated with being
overweight, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and on-the-job injuries, can
lead to big medical bills. Overweight people spend an additional $346 per year
on medical costs, according to the George Washington University study; obese
people shell out an additional $1,474 a year. This amount factors in
co-payments, prescription drugs, and hospital costs, but doesn’t take into
account any over-the-counter drugs, so the amount may be even higher, says
Christine Ferguson, director of STOP Obesity Alliance and one of the
researchers.
Income
Being obese doesn’t just cost
you more money, it can also limit how much you rake in—if you’re a woman.
Studies conclude that being obese can lower women’s wages by between 1.5 to 15%,
which averages out to be a loss of $1,855 a year. “I think that this issue of
lost wages really reflects a huge bias against people who are overweight or
obese,” says Ferguson.
In
surveys, employers see obese women as lacking self-discipline and being less
emotionally stable and competent than their thinner peers. However, heavier
women also complete fewer years of education and retire earlier, both of which
contribute to less money earned over time.
Why aren’t the salaries of obese
men affected? “I suspect the labor market is more competitive for men than for
women, so it is harder to discriminate against men,” says Eric A. Finklestein,
an associate research professor in the Duke Global Health Institute at Duke
University
Sick
Days
Being obese might also cause you
to lose more cash from work days lost to illness. Absenteeism causes overweight
women to lose an additional $106 per year; obese men see a hit of $212, whereas
obese women are set back $674.
Clothing
While there’s no one study that
has calculated the added cost of purchasing plus-size fashion, there’s anecdotal
evidence that buying bigger clothing is more expensive. For example, Old Navy’s
standard boot cut jeans costs $34.50, but the plus-size version is $43. A
cable-knit sweater from the same store costs $37; the same plus-size design
sells for $40.
Travel
Under its customers-of-size
policy, Southwest Airlines requires people who can’t fit into the planes’
17-inch-wide seats to purchase two tickets, so obese individuals may have to
spend twice as much to fly. You can, however, get a refund for your second
ticket if the flight isn’t sold out. Air Tran plans to follow suit in spring
2012.
Life
Insurance
In
their report, the George Washington University researchers calculated that
overweight people spend an extra $14 a year on life insurance. Obese people pay
an extra $111 a year compared with normal-weight individuals.
While money in the bank is great
the real benefit of getting those pounds off is you are more likely to live a
happy, healthy, longer life. Your family and loved ones will reap the benefits
as well.
Sources:
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