Employers with a "substantial percentage" of overweight and obese workers should take three steps to tackle the issue, US researchers recommend, after finding a high body-mass index was associated with increased costs and time off work.
The researchers from three US health institutions said obesity was "arguably the most publicised health concern in today's world".
In their study of 3951 workers' comp claims made by municipal employees between 2000 and 2009, the researchers found 83.7 per cent were submitted by workers who were overweight (those with a BMI above 25), with 46.9 per cent of all claims submitted by those who were obese (a BMI of more than 30).
The average number of lost workdays for all claimants was 45.8, with those who had a BMI of more than 27.1 taking 39.1 to 56.5 days off work, compared to those with the recommended BMI of between 18.5 and 24.9, who took 33.84 days off, the study found.
"Our results showed that females incurred significantly more lost workdays than males, and that obese females incurred significantly more medical, indemnity, and lost workday-related costs than obese males," the researchers noted.
They also found that obese individuals had a 61 per cent higher average wages loss than those who weren't obese ($6453 compared to $3992).
"Overall, our results are similar in some outcome measures reported in other BMI workers' compensation studies.
"For example, this study shows that medical costs, indemnity costs, and lost workdays increase as BMI increases, and that obese individuals are impacted significantly more than non-obese individuals."
Support physical activity and occupational safety
The researchers said workplaces offer "unique opportunities to reach a large number of individuals at a relatively low cost by providing information, activities, and social support to promote healthier lifestyles".
There were similarities between this study and other BMI workers' compensation studies, they said, noting "virtually all worksites", particularly those with a "substantial percentage" of overweight and obese workers, should take immediate steps to:
- Determine the prevalence of overweight and obese workers in their workplaces and identify contributing factors such as lifestyle and cultural issues;
- Establish programs, incentives and policies that prevent "healthy weight persons" from becoming overweight, prevent overweight workers from becoming obese and help obese employees return to – at a minimum – overweight status or, ideally, to a healthy weight; and
- Provide "cultural and environmental norms" that support physical activity, healthy eating, occupational safety and accident prevention at work.
The researchers noted that further research was needed to determine whether employees in sedentary roles differed from those in labour-intensive work on key workers' comp measures.
"Future research should also be conducted to determine whether efforts to help overweight persons avoid becoming obese as well as helping obese persons migrate toward overweight status will generate cost savings or cost-avoidance benefits to both employees and employers," they said.
Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Workers' Compensation Claims and Costs: Results From the North Carolina League of Municipalities Database. David Chenoweth, et al, US, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Volume 57, Issue 9, September 2015.
