America has the highest rates of adult obesity in the world, and a growing economic cost which has been estimated at $73.1 billion, including absenteeism, lost productivity in the workplace and excess medical expenditures. Obesity is when the individual has accumulated so much body fat that it can have a negative impact on their health – it can be measured by total body weight or Body Mass Index. People whose bodyweights are 20% higher than they should be are usually obese, as are individuals with a BMI (Body Mass Index) of over 30. Some people may not be obese and have high BMIs or their body weight may be more than 20% higher than the recommended ideal for their age and height, such as some athletes, bodybuilders, rugby, and American football players.

According to two large surveys carried out in 2008 (National Health and Wellness Survey, with 24,000 participants) and 2006 (Medical Expenditures Panel Survey involving 8,875 people), there is a $30.3 billion toll directly linked to obesity-related medical costs, $12.8 billion in lost productivity because of obesity-related absenteeism (obese people taking days off work for health reasons), and an obesity-related presenteeism toll of $30 billion – this refers to less production at work because of obesity-related poor health.

Eric Finkelstein, PhD, Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore and team, in a report published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine write that the degree of obesity correlates with the level of economic impact. It also appears that the impact on females is greater in cases of non-severe obesity, compared to males.

The researchers say that the evidence of obesity imposing considerable costs on employees and employers as well is compelling (“undeniable”).

In this study, the investigators excluded women who were pregnant and individuals whose BMI was less than 18.5.

National Health and Wellness Survey, 2008 – people were asked to say how many hours they had worked during the previous week, and how many work-hours they had missed during that time because of health/illness. They were also asked to rate, between 0 and 10, how much of an impact any health problems might have had on their productivity while they were at work (presenteeism). The investigators then extrapolated from the scores on presenteeism to make percentage estimates on productivity loss, so a score of 6 would mean a 60% loss in productivity.

The researchers had access to the respondents’ income details, which allowed them to calculate the financial cost and/or productivity loss caused by poor health.

They found that severe obesity had the biggest impact on workplace productivity. Below are some highlighted details the authors reported:

  • Overweight females – BMI of 25 to 29.9

    ..missed 1.1 more days from work each year compared to women of normal weight.
    .. had a 0.9 day lower annual productivity while at work compared to women of normal weight
    .. spent $529 more on medical expenses annually than women of normal weight

  • Women with Obesity Grade I – BMI of 30 to 34.9

    ..Missed 3.1 days of work per year compared to women of normal weight
    ..6.3 days lower annual productivity while at work compared to women of normal weight
    ..$1,274 more was spent on medical expenses annually compared to women of normal weight

  • Women with Obesity Grade III – BMI of at least 40

    ..missed 9.4 days of work per year compared to women of normal weight
    ..22.7 days lower annual productivity while at work compared to women of normal weight
    ..$2,395 more was spent on medical expenses annually compared to women of normal weight

The authors write that the differences for males were smaller than for females. A Grade III obese man spent $1,269 more on medical expenses than a man of normal weight, while additional lost workdays totaled 5.9. The difference in medical expenses between males of normal weight and those who were overweight (BMI 25 to 29.9) were not significantly different.

Lost productivity while at work related to male obesity – presenteeism – was bigger than the other two cost factors.

The team stressed that their study included an Internet survey which did not pick people at random. They added that part-time workers were not included in their study.

This study did not investigate whether obesity might cause people to give up work altogether, or switch from full time to part time work, and how these factors might impact on estimates.

Interesting related article: What is Obesity? What is BMI?

Citation:
“The Costs of Obesity in the Workplace”
Finkelstein, Eric A.; DiBonaventura, Marco daCosta; Burgess, Somali M.; Hale, Brent C.
Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine doi: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181f274d2

Written by Christian Nordqvist