Researchers have studied the links between Obesity, smoking and health care costs for more than three decades. What began as a movement to decrease the instance of obesity and stop people from smoking, has now been faced with the real financial facts. "Healthy-living" people live longer and cost more to care for than people who live with obesity and smoking.

Researchers in London reported Monday that the prevention campaign aimed at saving the lives of smokers and obese people may actually cost governments more in overall health care.

The study focused on three groups of people including those who lived healthy lives, obese people and smokers. A health care cost simulation was run on each of the 1,000 person groups  based upon the 2003 illness care and disease prevention statistics in the Netherlands.

While the initial health care costs for people ages 20 to 56 were highest in those who fell within the medical guidelines of obese, the costs of ongoing care for those who lived passed the age of 56 changed dramatically. The results of the study found people living healthy lives could, hypothetically, cost the government more than $90,000 in additional health care costs over those who smoked.

According to Pieter van Baal, one of the co-creators of the simulation model, the results were "a small surprise." Baal went on to explain that those who choose to live a healthy lifestyle may have higher health costs simply due to the types of health conditions for which they are being treated. A smoker, for instance, may contract Lung Cancer and require less health care (and less health care costs) for treatment. A healthy living person, on the other hand, may contract a less fatal condition, such as Alzheimer's, and require care for a longer period of time.

The study, which was funded by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports, failed to consider the factors of obesity and smoking unrelated to health care. The governmental costs of a lax in economical productivity and social involvement, may certainly weigh on the findings detailed in the report. Despite the fact that obesity and smoking costs less in overall health care provisions, they can cost more in overall funding.

Governmental initiatives across the world have focused their energies and money on a campaign to prevent obesity and smoking in order to save trillions dollars in the health care related costs due to complications from smoking and obesity. After the conclusion of this study, these government initiatives will inevitably need to refocus and rebuild a campaign based more on saving lives and less on financial impact.

There is little doubt that the findings detailed during this research will be tested in other nation's worldwide. Further studies, taking social and economic productivity into consideration, may have the power to impact the overall relationship between governments and the health care field.