Researchers calculated the direct costs of malnutrition associated with dementia, depression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, musculoskeletal disorders, coronary heart failure, colon cancer and breast cancer.
While previous research has found indirect and direct costs linked to disease-associated malnutrition totals $157 billion annually, the study published in PLOS ONE focuses on direct costs on a state-by-state basis.
Researchers found dementia patients were the highest driver of direct costs linked to disease-associated malnutrition, reflecting more than half of the total cost ($8.7 billion). Malnutrition associated with breast cancer had the lowest direct cost among the diseases studied ($76 million). In addition, individuals age 65 and older accounted for a third of direct costs from disease-associated malnutrition, amounting to $4.3 billion.
Geographically, researchers found California housed the highest direct costs linked to malnutrition associated with common diseases, with overall spending estimated at $1.7 billion annually. Wyoming was found to spend the least at $25 million. Washington, D.C., saw the highest per person spending ($65) compared to the lowest in Utah ($36).
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