Early Childhood Obesity: Association with Healthcare Expenditure in Australia

Objective: To determine whether overweight or obesity among children (aged 2 to <= 5 years) is associated with direct healthcare costs, after adjusting for child, household, and socioeconomic characteristics. Methods: A longitudinal cohort analysis was performed in 350 children aged 2 years assessed over 3 years of follow-up. Child weight status was determined from mean BMI z-scores at 2, 3.5, and 5 years, and healthcare utilization including medicines, nonhospital, hospital, and emergency care was determined by data linkage. Using adjusted multivariable regression analyses, the relationship between total 3-year healthcare costs and weight status was examined. Observations took place in Sydney, Australia, between 2011 and 2014. Results: After adjustment for significant maternal and sociodemographic characteristics, healthcare costs of children with obesity (BMI z-score >2SD) were 1.62 (95% CI 1.12-2.34, P = 0.01) times those of children with healthy weight. However, costs of overweight children were similar to those of healthy weight (P = 0.96). The additional 3-year costs of healthcare for a child with obesity compared with healthy weight were $AUD 825 (95% CI $135-$2,117) for general patients and $AUD 1332 (95% CI $174-$4,280) for concession card holders. Conclusions: Prevention of obesity in early childhood may have concurrent benefits in reducing healthcare expenditure.