Sick of being criticized for smokin' & eatin'?

Pieter van Baal, an economist at the Netherlands' National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, has removed the hook from your chubby, smoke-filled mouth.  As the lead of a health care cost study, he has some surprising news for all his trim, fit and healthy compatriots.  They will strain the health care delivery system a lot longer and at greater cost than the rest of the population.

Released this week, the Dutch study exposed  the fallacy of a widely held perception that obese people and smokers combine to create a horrid drain on the health care system.  In many countries bureaucrats have been focused on reforming (or penalizing) the obese and smoker groups as the way to dramatically reduce global health care costs.  Ironically this study confirmed that healthy people over their lifetimes will cost a heck of a lot more then the chubbies or the smokers.

The study found that from the age of 20 until death, care for an obese person averages $371,000 or 11% less than the care required for a healthy one.  Care is even cheaper for smokers at $328,000, which is a savings of 21.8%.  By contrast, a healthy person who has avoided flab and cigarettes will still end up requiring $417,000 worth of medical care.

Perhaps it is time to call off the food and cigarette police who have been operating under the guise of economizing and focus our health efforts on improving the quality of life for all people.  This seems a much healthier alternative to shaming.

The researchers arrived at these conclusions after creating 1000 cyber people, dividing them into three groups, and simulating their lifetime health costs.  Their models were based on the cost data and medical records for the total amounts of illness and disease in the Netherlands during the year 2003. 

Apparently the researchers were not surprised with the results.  Obese people had more health care costs from the age of 20 to 56, but as the obese and smokers generally lived shorter lives, it costs less to treat them. 

Based on their research, healthy Dutch people (defined as healthy-living, meaning thin and non-smoking) lived an average of 84 years.  The obese lived an average of 80 years, while smokers lived only until about age 77.  As more smokers than non-smokers get lung cancer - difficult to diagnose, treat and often fatal - their illnesses and treatment options were comparatively brief.

I am not advocating an unhealthy lifestyle, but do think smokers and the obese should be given a break once in a while.   Excluding lung cancer, all three groups' incidence of cancer was essentially the same.  Diabetes and heart disease afflicted the obese group more often, but it was the healthiest people who had the most strokes.  (If you are in an age group where strokes are common, it is always a good thing to know the symptoms and which medical facilities offer the best treatments in your area.  Specialized treatment within the first hour or two may prevent permanent disability, but is useless later on.)

Ultimately, of course, the real question is about quality of life.  If you are healthy, do you get to enjoy life more?  Certainly.  If you are fit, can your life be fuller and your earning potential greater?  Absolutely. Greater longevity also allows you to work longer or make some other meaningful contribution in life. 

Looking at a lifelong diet for a mere 4 years after 80?  That might take more analysis.:)

Then again, any day above ground is a good one.  I'll get you an ashtray if you'll hand me a celery stick.*


*Full disclosure:  Quit smoking in September of 1977 and never regretted it.  I also start a diet every morning but often decide to go back on one 'tomorrow' instead. :)