Methods
obesity, death, comorbidity
OBESITY, ADVERSE EVENT
A 6-state Markov model was developed comprising 5 BMI-based health states and an absorbing death state. Baseline characteristics, utilities, and transition probabilities were informed by patient-level data from the subset of patients with class II obesity in MERIT. Adverse events (AEs) were based on the MERIT safety population. Mortality was estimated by applying BMI-specific hazard ratios from the published literature to UK general population mortality rates. Utilities for the healthy weight and overweight health states were informed from the literature; disutility associated with increasing BMI in the class I-III obesity health states was estimated using MERIT utility data. Disutility due to AEs and the prevalence of obesity-related comorbidities were based on the literature. Costs included intervention costs, AE costs, and comorbidity costs.