Purdue University Professor Ken Ferraro and graduate student Markus Schafer suggest obesity must be addressed at a young age because the longer a person lives with it the greater the consequences.

   Ferraro and Schafer found obesity complications often resulted in hospitalizations. But once in the hospital, the illnesses alone were not sufficient to explain the amount of time people were staying, Ferraro said.

   Their study showed obese patients remain in the hospital up to a day more than people of average weight since obesity causes more complicated care or surgery, and can make it harder to use traditional clinical health assessments and measurements, Schafer said.

   "In the past, people's weight peaked during late middle age. As more young people become obese, we may anticipate accumulated health problems by the time they are 40," Ferraro said. "If they are going to be obese for 30, 40 or 50 years, then the healthcare costs associated with their adult medical needs will skyrocket."

The study appears in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

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