Study: Extremely Obese Employees Less Productive: Medicine [WC Central 01/14/08]
Employees with moderate to extreme obesity tend to have more health-related limitations at work than their co-workers, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati conducted a random sampling of 341 manufacturing employees. Most of the workers were either overweight or obese, with 13 percent qualifying as moderately or extremely obese. Workers in this category had health-related losses of 4.2%. That was 1.8% higher than any other group of employees. The overweight or mildly obese group had the least amount of health-related losses.
The researchers concluded, “Based on an average hourly wage of $21, the annual costs of presenteeism (health-related losses) for moderately to extremely obese workers were nearly $1,800 - about $500 higher than for other workers.”
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