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Association between obesity and prescribed medication use in England

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  • Kinge, Jonas Minet
  • Morris, Stephen

Abstract

We investigate the association between obesity and use of prescribed medications in England. Data were taken from fourteen rounds of the Health Survey for England (1999–2012), which has measures of current prescribed medication use based on therapeutic classifications in the British National Formulary, and nurse-measured height and weight. We find that obesity has a statistically significant and positive association with use of a range of medicines for managing diseases associated with obesity. The mean probability of using any type of medication is 0.40 in those of normal weight, 0.44 in the overweight, 0.52 in obesity class I and 0.60 in obesity class II/III. Significant positive associations were found between obesity and the use of medication for diseases of the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal system, respiratory system, and central nervous system, as well as for infections, endocrine system disorders, gynaecological/urinary disorders and musculoskeletal and joint disorders. Use of anti-obesity medication is low, even among those with class II/III obesity.

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  • Kinge, Jonas Minet & Morris, Stephen, 2014. "Association between obesity and prescribed medication use in England," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 15(C), pages 47-55.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:15:y:2014:i:c:p:47-55
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2014.06.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Jonas Minet Kinge, 2017. "Waist circumference, body mass index, and employment outcomes," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 18(6), pages 787-799, July.
    2. Kinge, Jonas Minet, 2016. "Waist circumference, body mass index and employment outcomes," HERO Online Working Paper Series 2016:4, University of Oslo, Health Economics Research Programme.
    3. Kinge, Jonas Minet, 2016. "Body mass index and employment status: A new look," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 117-125.

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    Keywords

    Obesity; BMI; Medication use; England;
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