Journal of global health
Healthcare costs of childhood overweight and obesity in Chile: evidence from an analysis of linked administrative records
Von Valdés N, Abufhele A, Vega A und 1 weiteren.
Inhalt auf Englisch
Abstract
Background
Childhood overweight and obesity are highly prevalent in Chile, affecting over 50% of children under the age of 12, yet evidence on the healthcare costs associated with them remains limited. In this study, we quantify the association between high body mass index (BMI)-for-age and annual health expenditures among school-aged children using linked national administrative data.
Methods
We linked anthropometric measurements from a national school-based surveillance system with health expenditure records from the public and private insurance systems. The sample included children in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, first, and fifth grade. We estimated average annual expenditures by BMI-for-age categories and used generalised linear models to assess associations between nutritional status and total annual medical spending. Models were sequentially adjusted for demographic, socioeconomic, perinatal, and municipal variables, with additional specifications incorporating municipality fixed effects.