Overweight and obesity linked to high compensation costs

A study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has found that obese and overweight workers in the USA are more likely to incur higher compensation costs for major injuries. The study looked at data from 2,300 injured workers from Louisiana and it was shown that for major injuries high BMI was closely related to high compensation rates. On average the overweight individual was claiming almost double that of a normal weight person, whilst an obese individual was claiming almost 3 times.

Previous studies have linked obesity to a higher rate of workplace injuries and more time spent off work, however until now the effects on costs have been less clear. The team that carried out the study are keen to determine whether the costs are due to medical expenditure or are for indemnity costs for lost work time.