Abstract: Objective To estimate direct costs of diabetes attributable to obesity and central obesity in Guandu district of Kunming city.Methods Probability proportional to size(PPS)sampling method was used to select a representative sample(4 595 rural residents aged 18 years and over)from the district in 2011.All participants received a questionnaire interview and physical examination.Results In the study population,the overall prevalence of diabetes,obesity,and central obesity was 6.2%(5.6% for males and 6.8% for females),11.2%(8.9% for males and 13.3% for females),and 52.8%(46.6% for males and 57.9% for females),respectively.Females had obviously higher prevalence of obesity and central obesity than males(P<0.05).Obesity(odds ratioOR=1.435),central obesity(OR=1.342),age(OR=1.019)and not eating sweet food(OR=0.275) were the risk factors of diabetes.There was a strong association between obesity and central obesity and risk for diabets(P<0.01).The total direct cost of diabetes was 100.49 million RMB Yuan,of which,5.59% was attributable to obesity(5.62 million Yuan),and 15.71% was attributable to central obesity(15.79 million Yuan).Conclusion Diabetes inflicts a considerable economic burden on society in Guandu district of Kunming.The findings suggest implementing effective strategies to control obesity and central obesity is helpful to reduce the economic burden of diabetes in the district.