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The annual healthcare costs of obesity in this country are $147 billion a year. This could rise to as much as $344 billion by 2018, according to one major study. |
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Obesity has become one of the most expensive health problems in America today, surpassing smoking, according to a study in Health Affairs. |
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Two-thirds of Americans are overweight although 85% of Americans characterize their lifestyle as somewhat/very healthy. |
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Obese employee sick days total approximately 39 million workdays and 63 million doctor visits yearly. |
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12 million Americans are considered severely obese, defined as more than 100 pounds overweight. |
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Diet books consistently rank as some of the hottest best sellers. There are also over 100 unregulated over-the-counter diet pills on the market and celebrities line up to pitch an assortment of diet products. All of this amounts to a nearly $60 billion weight loss industry. |
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The Biggest Loser consumer products program has generated over $100 million in spending so far. |
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Employers have a big stake in getting their workforce to lose weight and reduce the enormous costs in medical claims and lost productivity linked to obesity. Recent studies have shown an impressive return on investment for every dollar spent on prevention and wellness programs. |
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Johnson & Johnson's CEO Bill Weldon confirmed his company saved $20 million in 7 years by implementing employee wellness program. |
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Nearly a third of the children in this country are overweight and some experts believe up to one third of children will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lifetime. |
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For the first time in the history of our nation, some medical experts warn that this younger generation may be on track to have a shorter life span than their parents as a direct result of the obesity epidemic. |
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Revolution Foods, a start-up social venture in Oakland, CA made $10 million last year by asking schools to re-think the humble school lunch. They provide healthy, organic, home-style meals made locally from scratch. |
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