Weight management program reduces job absenteeism

Obesity does not only have direct medical costs, but it also has wider economic costs that many of us do not think about. Examples of this are, missed time from work and lost productivity. This study, from the University of Michigan, aimed to analyse the effects of a weight management program with the focus being the impact that it had at work. The program itself is billed as a two year, multicomponent and multidisciplinary program for people with moderate to severe obesity. Low-calorie meal replacements are used in the early stages with a stepwise progression to food based diets and an eventual change in behaviour being the final outcome.

92 participants from a range of industries were involved in the study, the program itself was shortened to six months. However, the individuals lost an average of 41 pounds, further to this it was reported that before the program was initiated they were spending 5.2 fewer hours at work than what their employers expected, after the program they were spending 6.4 hours more than expected. A change in job performance was not seen, therefore the authors are hoping to further this research to discover if they can affect job productivity.