Poor health isn't the only cost Americans pay for all the obesity epidemic; there's also a hefty financial price attached. Here are the top five costs associated with obesity:
1. Lower wages: Obese men and women earn, on average, $3.41 per hour less than their peers. Over the course of a year, that means $7,093 in lost income.
2. Fewer work hours: On average, obese workers tend to lose a week of work a year due to ailments related to their weight.
3. Higher medical costs: Overweight males incur medical costs that are $170 higher annually, while overweight females incur costs $495 higher.
4. Extra air travel costs: Budget airlines such as Southwest require obese people or people who may take up more than one seat to buy an adequate number of seats on the flight.
5. More gasoline: Americans pumped 938 million more gallons of fuel a year than they did in 1960 because of their heftier frames. That adds up to roughly $3.55 billion in increased annual gas expenditures nationwide.