What is the economic burden of risk factors in Manitoba?

Improved estimation of the health and economic burden of chronic disease risk factors in Manitoba.

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Krueger H, Williams D, Ready AE, Trenaman L, Turner D. Chronic Diseases and Injuries in Canada. Vol 33, No 4, September 2013: 236-246.

Access the Journal Article.

This article resulted from our collaboration with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba and other partners in prevention.

Problem of Double Counting

There are analytic challenges involved with estimating the aggregate burden of multiple risk factors (RFs) in a population. We describe a methodology to account for overlapping RFs in some sub-populations, a phenomenon that leads to‘‘double-counting’’ the diseases and economic burden generated by those factors.

Determining the Economic Burden

Our method uses an efficient approach to accurately analyze the aggregate economic burden of chronic disease across a multifactorial system. In addition, it involves considering the effect of body weight as a continuous or polytomous exposure that ranges from no excess weight through overweight to obesity. We then apply this method to smoking, physical inactivity and overweight/obesity in Manitoba, a province of Canada.

Aggregate Economic Burden

The annual aggregate economic burden of the risk factors in Manitoba in 2008 is about $1.6 billion ($557 million for smoking, $299 million for physical inactivity and $747 million for overweight/obesity). The total burden represents a 12.6% downward adjustment to account for the effect of multiple RFs in some individuals in the population.

An improved estimate of the aggregate economic burden of multiple RFs in a given population can assist in prioritizing and gaining support for primary prevention initiatives.