Data on Obesity Discussed by Researchers at Brown University (The Association of Obesity With Health Insurance Coverage and Demographic Characteristics: a Statewide Cross-sectional Study)

Health Policy and Law Daily

2020 AUG 27 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Health Policy and Law Daily -- Investigators publish new report on Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases and Conditions - Obesity. According to news reporting from Providence, Rhode Island, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “We evaluated the statewide burden of obesity and its complications among government and state funded programs (Medicare and Medicaid) and commercial insurance. We calculated the prevalence of obesity and the prevalence of relevant comorbidities among different demographic groups and based on health insurance, among adults (18-65 years old) who visited a statewide health network in the state of Rhode Island, in 2017.”

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Brown University, “The overall prevalence of obesity among 74,089 individuals was 38.88% [Asians 16.77%, Whites 37.49%, Hispanics 44.23%, and Blacks 48.44%]. Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries were 26% and 27%, respectively, more likely to have obesity than those who had commercial insurance (Odds Ratio:1.26, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.20-1.32; Odds Ratio:1.27, 95%CI:1.22-1.32). Moreover, Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries with obesity had a higher prevalence of diabetes compared with privately insured with obesity (10.58% and 10.44% vs 4.45%). Medicare beneficiaries with obesity had a statistically higher prevalence of ischemic heart disease (4.34%, 95%CI: 3.77-4.91) than privately insured (3.21%, 95%CI: 2.94-3.47). Based on statewide data among 18 to 65 years old adults, Medicare and Medicaid provide health coverage to 40% of individuals with obesity and 46% of those with the obesity-related comorbidities and complications.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “State and federal health care programs need to support and expand obesity-related services and coverage.”

For more information on this research see: The Association of Obesity With Health Insurance Coverage and Demographic Characteristics: a Statewide Cross-sectional Study. Medicine, 2020;99(27):e21016. Medicine can be contacted at: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Two Commerce Sq, 2001 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103, USA. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Medicine - http://www.journals.elsevier.com/medicine/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Eleftherios Mylonakis, Brown University, Division of Infectious Diseases, Brown University School of Medicine, Providence, RI 02903, United States. Additional authors for this research include Evangelia K. Mylona, Gregorio Benitez, Fadi Shehadeh, Elvira Fleury, Sophia C. Mylonakis and Markos Kalligeros.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000021016. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.