are less productive than their normal-weight co-workers, says a U.S.
study.
Researchers surveyed 7,338 working adults about missed work time,
reduced work effectiveness and impairment of daily activities. The results
showed that people who were obese and had type 2 diabetes lost 11 percent
to 15 percent of work time (about 5.9 hours a week) because of health
problems, compared with 9 percent of work time (about 3.6 hours a week)
lost by normal-weight people.
The survey also found that obese people with type 2 diabetes reported
impairment during 20 percent to 34 percent of their daily activities, such
as taking care of children, shopping and exercising.
The findings are in the May/June issue of the American Journal of
Health Promotion.
"From an employer's perspective, this study provides evidence that
workplace wellness programs that include weight loss and weight management
would be beneficial for obese employees with or at risk for diabetes,"
Kathleen Fox, president of Strategic Healthcare Solutions and a co-author
of the study, said in a news release from the Center for the Advancement
of Health.
The study supports previously published research that found "the
heavier people are, the most lost productivity at work," Anne Wolf, an
instructor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, who
specializes in researching the economic effects of obesity, said in the
news release. This study was different, she said, in that it found an
independent effect of diabetes on worker productivity.
"Employers who spend money in a lifestyle intervention will find their
investment returned to them in the form of increased productivity and
reduced absenteeism," Wolf said.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney
Diseases outlines the health risks of being overweight.
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