Health Study Says Obese Employees Incur Higher Costs

An employee's weight could weigh heavily on employers' pocketbooks.

Published September 14, 2005

An obese employee costs an employer an additional $460 to $2,500 annually in medical expenditures and work absences, according to a recent report on the impact of an overweight workforce on

WORKING OUT IN THE WORKPLACE?

    With reports of the effects of obesity on individuals' health as well as their employers' health insurance costs, it's time for employers to consider companies' healthy hiring practices.

    Visit the Lawn & Landscape Online Message Board to let us know what you think of the recent obesity study outlined at left and let us know how – or if – you handle the topic in your own business. Here are some conversation starters to get things going:

  • Does your company make it a practice to hire people in a certain physical condition. What expectations do you have of employees in terms of how much weight they can life, how far they must be able to walk, etc.?
  • How do you feel about discussing obesity in the workplace? Is it too taboo to talk about? Do you feel it's an issue in an industry where so many people are perofrming physical work/excerise on a daily basis?
  • What healthy practices has your company implemeneted? Daily stretching or other excercises? No-smoking policies? Share how and why you took this approach in the workplace.

The report, published in the current issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion, says the higher expenses impact an entire company. Costs are absorbed by all employees, who end up paying higher health-care premiums; by employers, if they must hire replacement workers or pick up a larger share of insurance costs; and by the obese employees themselves, if they aren't paid for their time off.

An obese person is someone 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight.

The findings should encourage businesses to promote healthier living in their workforce through employer-sponsored fitness and weight-loss programs, as well as conducting educational programs on healthier eating habits.

RTI International and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention drafted the report. They examined two national surveys that track absences and medical information on more than 20,000 full-time employees, ages 18 to 64. Among the other findings, adjusted for 2004 dollars:

  • Normal-weight men miss an average of three work days a year, compared with five days for men who are 60 or more pounds over a healthy weight.
  • Normal-weight women miss about 3.4 days a year vs. 5.2 days for women who are obese, that is 30 to 60 pounds overweight, and 8.2 days for extremely obese, 100 or more pounds over a healthy weight.
  • The average medical expenditure for a normal-weight man is $1,351 a year. Men who are 30 to 60 pounds overweight cost $462 more based on added medical costs and absenteeism. Extremely obese men cost $2,027 a year more.
  • Average medical expenditures for normal-weight women are $1,956. Women who are 30 to 60 pounds overweight cost $1,372 more when medical costs and missed work are included. Women who weigh 60 to 100 pounds too much cost $2,485 more.
  • The most obese workers (those 100 or more pounds too heavy) make up 3 percent of the employed population but account for 21 percent of the costs of obesity.
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