The director of ConCiencia in Obesity, Dr. Irene Bretón, has underscored the importance of abandoning the notion of obesity as “a matter of willpower” and of promoting a comprehensive and coordinated approach across different specialties and care levels that “puts the person at the center”.
During the initiative 'ConCiencia en Obesidad', promoted by Boehringer Ingelheim and which has brought together clinical specialists, journalists, researchers, patients, and institutional representatives, Bretón insisted that “obesity is a chronic, complex disease with multiple comorbidities, and we must treat it as such”.
At this meeting, the health economist, Dr. Núria Mas, emphasized that obesity goes beyond the purely health sphere: “It also has a high economic and social impact”. The expert examined how obesity affects the use of health resources, productivity, and equity, and also assessed the cost of not intervening early.
Mas stressed that the consequences of obesity go beyond the individual sphere, since they affect participation in the labor market, reduce productivity, and add a significant burden to the healthcare system and to the economy overall.
In Spain’s case, according to the OECD model for the period 2020-2050, overweight and obesity account for nearly 10 percent of health spending, reduce GDP by approximately 3 percent, and result in a loss of labor output equivalent to about 479,000 full-time jobs per year.
The data also show that inaction entails a growing cost. The World Obesity Federation and RTI International calculate that the total cost of overweight and obesity in Spain reached 26,030 million euros in 2019 and could rise to 34,614 million by 2030, in constant 2019 euros. Around two-thirds of this bill are indirect costs associated with premature mortality, absenteeism, and reduced labor productivity.
According to specialists, living with obesity often implies having to endure stigmas and inequalities. Researcher Sara Morais has emphasized that "the stigma associated with weight still remains one of the great barriers for people with obesity to seek help and receive proper care. Social inequalities and the environment in which we live condition our health, and we cannot continue blaming the patient for an illness in which so many factors influence".