Report: Obesity Costing Firms $45B a Year in Work Loss, Medical Costs

April 10, 2008

  • April 10, 2008 at 10:26 am
    lastbat says:
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    I’m all for adding wellness to the benefits package and for launching wellness initiatives in the workplace. The better you treat your employees the more likely you are to attract and retain good employees.

    With that out of the way I wonder how they judged the cost of obesity. There are a number of conflicting studies out there regarding the cost of obesity to America and to business. I think we tend to focus on one issue and exclude any other causal factors. For instance, did they factor for obese smokers? Heavy drinkers (pun intended)? Risky behaviors? Family history? There are too many things that go into this for me to blindly accept that obesity along costs $45B a year.

    But whatever the cost, it’s still worth helping people stay in shape and stay healthy. I’d just rather we didn’t try to mess it all up by throwing out numbers that may mean nothing.

  • April 10, 2008 at 10:52 am
    standards says:
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    according to the BMI charts I am substantially overweight. However I also run an average of 4 miles per day, my cholesterol levels, blood pressure and heart rate are all great. I’m fat, but fit. The government BMI charts are not a good indicator if someone is really overweight or not. While I agree there are lots of overweight people in the US, using the BMI as a measure is not valid.

  • April 10, 2008 at 11:35 am
    lastbat says:
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    That is very true. If I remember correctly Europe doesn’t use the BMI. There are at least three different BMI calculations in the U.S. and none of them account for body-type. I’m much more a fan of looking at body composition (through calipers or even better through displacement testing) and overall fitness. If you’re heart, lungs and everything else is good, that’s all that really matters.

  • April 10, 2008 at 1:30 am
    Fatima says:
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    good point Mr. Lastbat. As a female and a Muslim and an American, I often wonder how I am considered for polling data. Having said that, people need to eat healthier in our country. In my birthland you do not see men in 40 inch waist pants with a Big Mac hanging out of their mouths.

  • April 10, 2008 at 1:42 am
    Happy in CA says:
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    I also am an overweight, obese if you will, person. I am completely healthy and have physicals every year. Why should my pants size matter to an employer? Years ago (150+) large people were thought to be health & wealthy, that changed with the whims of society. Why should I be punished by having an employer nosing around in my life, just because I am larger than society says I should be. I am completely happy with who I am. Also, if I was the weight that the BMI says I should be, I would look anorexic; would the employers say anything then?

  • April 10, 2008 at 1:45 am
    Wondering says:
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    I wonder if it is the stress occuring in the work place that is driving people to eat? If so, companies would be wise to address the cause,(stress)instead of the effects, (obesity)..!!

  • April 10, 2008 at 2:03 am
    Baxtor says:
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    Wondering, you are dead on!! I notice myself sitting at a desk all day tending to munch on snacks (vending machine types). However, on the weekends I tend to not snack as I’m busy doing yard work or whatever. My friends who work in construction are all perfect weight, while I’ve gained some. Age has something to do with it, but I think mostly the stress of the job and not moving around to get rid of the fat.
    With America on the way toward a recession and us already being overworked per employee, I don’t see my company hiring anyone to help with our workload and reduce our stress. They do have a staff of people that send us worthless emails on how we should exercise and eat right…Blah blah blah. Fire them and hire some help for us in the trenches!

  • April 10, 2008 at 2:08 am
    blondie says:
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    I am not one of the skinny minnies to say the least, and I’m sure that the BMI charts would say I am obese. But oddly, I am rarely ever sick. But as for the size 4 chick down the office corridor… she seems to be more sickly than most. She is always complaining, feeling ill, out sick, coming down with something, visiting the doctor, coughing… etc. Perhaps she doesn’t eat enough to stay healthy? Can we get a number on them?

  • April 10, 2008 at 2:38 am
    Part of the big crowd says:
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    I would have a much better chance of exercising 30 minutes a day if I didn’t have to work so many hours. I agree that stress and work/life balance factor heavily (pun definitely intended!) into our health as a society.

  • April 10, 2008 at 2:38 am
    Frankie says:
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    The intent of the article was to say in general, people who would be considered overweight (by methods of BMI, body measurements, body fat analysis) tend to cost a company more than those who are not considered overweight. Yes, there are exceptions to every rule, but overall I believe this is true. And don’t blame it on stress, or on family, or on work, or on the vending machines down the hall, or on the fast food joints on your ride home, or “this is just how my family is”. In the Insurance Journal, we are very quick to point out that no one takes responsibility for their actions anymore. Here is a great opportunity to do just that!



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