Obesity in Italy: An Empirical Analysis of Healthcare Consumption, Quality of Life and Comorbidities

Background and Objectives: Obesity is a health condition that significantly augments the risk of several chronic diseases and is a major public health concern. In Italy, this phenomenon has highly increased in the last few decades, raising alarm about both NHS sustainability and population health. We investigate whether and to what extent obesity impacts three different categories of outcomes, namely healthcare consumption, quality of life and the presence of relevant comorbidities. Materials and Methods: We use data from the European Health Interview Survey, 2019, a micro dataset that displays more than 45,000 observations, providing detailed information on the health status and healthcare access, demographics and socioeconomic characteristics among Italian individuals aged 15 and over. We first provide a descriptive analysis of the socioeconomic gradient of obesity, and then we implement propensity score matching to detect the effects of this condition on healthcare use, quality of life and comorbidities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical paper to jointly consider the healthcare consumption, declared comorbidities and quality of life of Italian obese individuals. Results: The findings show that obese individuals consume more health services, have a lower quality of life and present a higher rate of comorbidities compared to non-obese individuals with the same observable characteristics. We also find that obesity is rooted in socioeconomic drivers, with richer and more educated individuals being less likely to present with this condition. Conclusions: The findings call for policy measures aimed at monitoring and contrasting the rising phenomenon of obesity in Italy, with a tailored approach across socioeconomic groups.