Estimation of the direct health costs attributable to child obesity in Brazil

Introduction Childhood obesity is a major global public health issue globally and in Brazil. The impacts of childhood obesity include higher risk of disease during childhood and of obesity and non-communicable diseases in adulthood and represent an important epidemiological and economic burden to countries. Methods This study is based on the modeling of total costs of hospitalizations and the additional costs attributable to childhood obesity in the Brazilian National Health System. Results The hospitalizations of children and adolescents with obesity as a primary cause totaled R$5.5 million to the Brazilian National Health System from 2013 to 2022, demonstrating that obesity is rarely considered as a cause of hospitalization especially among children and adolescents. The additional costs of hospitalizations attributable to childhood obesity totaled R$213.1 million during the same period. Considering the additional non-hospital, outpatient and medication cost attributable to childhood obesity in Brazil, the total costs were estimated at R$225.7 million in the last decade. Conclusion This study highlight that the costs of childhood obesity are not limited to the impacts on adult health and represent a relevant economic burden to the Brazilian National Health System and to families because of additional costs during childhood. Therefore, the prevention and control of childhood obesity is a public health priority that demands immediate and robust policies.