Hagman Emilia, Halsteinli Vidar, Putri Resthie R, Hansen Edwards Christina, Waaler Bjørnelv Gudrun, Marcus Claude, Ødegård Rønnaug A
Department of Clinical Science, Intervention, and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden.
Department of Surgery, Obesity Research Centre, St. Olavs Hospital Trondheim University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway.
BMC Med. 2025 Jan 21;23(1):33. doi: 10.1186/s12916-025-03866-w.
Pediatric obesity is a growing global health challenge, with long-term implications for individuals and healthcare systems. Existing studies on the association between pediatric obesity and healthcare use in adulthood are limited and often rely on mathematical simulation models. This study aims to provide real-world data on the impact of adolescent obesity on specialized healthcare utilization and costs in early adulthood.
This study analyzed data from two longitudinal cohorts: a population-based cohort from Norway (Young-HUNT) and a clinical cohort from Sweden (BORIS), the latter with matched general population comparators. Individuals included were born between 1987 and 1994, with BMI measurements at ages 13-19, and follow-up data from ages 20 to 30 years. Healthcare utilization and costs were assessed using national patient registries.
A total of 7592 individuals from Norway (5.7% with adolescent obesity) and 1543 individuals from Sweden with adolescent obesity, accompanied with 7330 matched general population comparators, were included. Among females, adolescent obesity was associated with significantly higher specialized healthcare utilization and costs in young adulthood, e.g., in Sweden, females with adolescent obesity had a 57% probability of annual specialized healthcare visits at ages 25-29, compared to 49% among the general population, p < 0.0001. In Norway, a similar pattern was observed. Among males, the association between obesity and healthcare utilization/annual specialized visits was less prominent. Annual excess costs for females with a history of adolescent obesity ranged from €578 to €835, while males showed minimal or no annual excess costs.
Analyses of real-world data cohorts from Norway and Sweden reveal that adolescent obesity is associated with increased healthcare utilization and costs in young adulthood, exceeding previous estimates. A distinct sex difference was evident, with females incurring higher costs compared to males.
儿童肥胖是一个日益严峻的全球健康挑战，对个人和医疗保健系统都有长期影响。现有的关于儿童肥胖与成年期医疗保健使用之间关联的研究有限，且往往依赖于数学模拟模型。本研究旨在提供关于青少年肥胖对成年早期专科医疗保健利用和成本影响的真实世界数据。
本研究分析了两个纵向队列的数据：一个来自挪威的基于人群的队列（Young-HUNT）和一个来自瑞典的临床队列（BORIS），后者有匹配的一般人群对照。纳入的个体出生于1987年至1994年之间，在13至19岁时测量了体重指数，并随访了20至30岁的数据。使用国家患者登记处评估医疗保健利用和成本。
共纳入了来自挪威的7592名个体（5.7%有青少年肥胖）和来自瑞典的1543名有青少年肥胖的个体，以及7330名匹配的一般人群对照。在女性中，青少年肥胖与成年早期专科医疗保健利用和成本显著更高有关，例如，在瑞典，有青少年肥胖的女性在25至29岁时有57%的年度专科医疗就诊概率，而一般人群中这一概率为49%，p<0.0001。在挪威也观察到了类似模式。在男性中，肥胖与医疗保健利用/年度专科就诊之间的关联不太显著。有青少年肥胖史的女性每年额外费用在578欧元至835欧元之间，而男性每年额外费用极少或没有。
对来自挪威和瑞典的真实世界数据队列的分析表明，青少年肥胖与成年早期医疗保健利用和成本增加有关，超过了先前的估计。明显存在性别差异，女性的成本高于男性。
