The health of Americans is declining after the pandemic, according to a recent survey from Gallup.
While that's probably not surprising, it is concerning.
Obesity
The percentage of adults who are obese is 38.4%, up six percentage points since 2019.
Viewing the statistics from an age perspective, ages 45-64 saw an increase of 8.2 points, while ages 30-44 were up 6.1 points. Under age 30 didn't see a significant increase.
Delving into the cause of the increase the report says it "may be associated with modified health behaviors resulting from the pandemic. While exercise rates have managed to remain intact, eating habits nationally have eroded substantially since 2019."
The cost of obesity to employers is high. According to the KFF Health System Tracker, people with obesity or overweight diagnoses have higher out-of-pocket costs than those without such diagnoses. In 2021, people with large employer coverage who had an obesity diagnosis faced an average of $1,487 in out-of-pocket costs, compared to $698 for those without an obesity diagnosis.
Diabetes
The survey also shows that diabetes had hit a new high as well with 13. 6% of respondents having said they have the disease. This is up 1.1 points from 2019.
The cost of diabetes to employers in 2022, according to the American Diabetes Center's Economic Report, was $412.9 billion, including $306.6 billion in direct medical costs and $106.3 billion in indirect costs. People with diagnosed diabetes now account for one of every four health care dollars spent in the U.S. annually.
Physical Health Metrics
The survey also looked at other key health metrics, including high blood pressure and cholesterol as well as how people would rate their own health.
