Updated December 26, 2014.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35.1% of adults over 20 years old in the United States are obese (body mass index greater than 30.0). Additionally, a whopping 69% of adults over 20 fall into the category of individuals who are considered overweight (BMI 25.0-29.9) and obese.
Obesity causes many secondary conditions which can contribute to an individual's level of disability.
Some of these can include heart disease, diabetes, cancers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, liver disease, respiratory disorders, and arthritis. Over time with obesity, a person's risk of developing these diseases only increases. If you are a person living with obesity and have one or more of these conditions, here are some things to think about regarding your potential for disability.
- Obesity related conditions are usually preventable: This sounds like a no brainer, right? Many people living with obesitcy hear that they should lose weight to prevent other problems from occurring but may never experience the drastic turnaround that their bodies can experience with weight loss. I have had heard many stories from patients about the wonderful changes that happen to their bodies through weight loss. All of the changes affect their risk factors for secondary conditions. Patients are able to come off of or reduce diabetes and hypertension medications and experience a large degree of pain relief in their joints and low backs as a result of weight loss. These are huge quality of life changes.
- Obtaining disability benefits for obesity alone isn't the easiest thing to accomplish: Many patients approach doctors to ask for assistance with obtaining short or long term disability benefits based on the diagnosis of obesity. Having obesity alone is not enough to satisfy the government for approval of disability benefits. In order to obtain benefits, the obesity must contribute to a secondary condition that is deemed disabling by your doctor in the medical record. Many doctors are hesitant to call a person disabled based on an obesity related condition due to point number 1. Since these conditions are preventable and reversible, the doctor has the responsibility to say that in the record. This may affect a person's ability to become approved for disability benefits.
- Long term consequences of obesity can be accelerated if you stop working because of disability: There are many instances where a disabling condition can completely prevent a person from returning to work but just as many where a person may be on the border of being able to work or not based on his or her disability status. For a person that falls into this "borderline" category, choosing to discontinue working can lead to an increase or worsening in many of the risk factors stated in this article. Discontinuing work means less time spent out of the house, walking, interacting with others, etc. This gives many people the opportunity to choose the "couch potato" lifestyle that will only enhance their obesity problem. It is generally recommended that people continue to work if at all possible to avoid this situation.
The obesity epidemic is contributing to poor quality of life and work performance for millions of people in America today. People who are obese incurred $1,429 per person extra in medical expenses in the year 2009 according to the CDC. The best approach to avoiding this epidemic for yourself is to maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise and seek medical advice from your physician t optimize your health for years to come.