OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine health-related lost productive time (LPT) in overweight and obese workers. METHODS: Cross-sectional study using data from a national telephone survey of the U.S. workforce. Body mass index defined normal-weight, overweight, and obese workers. LPT in hours and dollars was compared among the three groups. RESULTS: Obese workers (42.3%) were significantly (P<0.0001) more likely to report LPT in the previous 2 weeks than normal-weight (36.4%) or overweight workers (34.7%). Health status mediated the relation between obesity and LPT. Obese workers cost an estimated $42.29 billion in LPT, an excess of $11.70 billion compared with normal-weight workers. Presenteeism accounted for 67.8% of the cost. Comparatively, overweight workers were not a significant source of excess LPT. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing excess weight in the workforce and improving the health of obese workers could positively impact U.S. workforce productivity.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine health-related lost productive time (LPT) in overweight and obese workers. METHODS: Cross-sectional study using data from a national telephone survey of the U.S. workforce. Body mass index defined normal-weight, overweight, and obese workers. LPT in hours and dollars was compared among the three groups. RESULTS:Obese workers (42.3%) were significantly (P<0.0001) more likely to report LPT in the previous 2 weeks than normal-weight (36.4%) or overweight workers (34.7%). Health status mediated the relation between obesity and LPT. Obese workers cost an estimated $42.29 billion in LPT, an excess of $11.70 billion compared with normal-weight workers. Presenteeism accounted for 67.8% of the cost. Comparatively, overweight workers were not a significant source of excess LPT. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing excess weight in the workforce and improving the health of obese workers could positively impact U.S. workforce productivity.
Authors: Walker S C Poston; Nattinee Jitnarin; C Keith Haddock; Sara A Jahnke; Brianne C Tuley Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring) Date: 2011-06-02 Impact factor: 5.002
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