Obese people more likely to take time off work with illness – study

Overweight and obese people are significantly more likely than colleagues who are a healthy weight to take time off work because they are ill, a European study has found.

Someone who is overweight has a 12% higher chance of needing to take sick leave, but those who are obese – with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more – are much more likely to be absent on health grounds.

The study said people with a BMI of 30-35 were 36% more likely to be off, increasing to 61% for a BMI of 35-40, while someone who was extremely obese – as defined as having a BMI of more than 40 – was 147% more likely.

The findings have caused concern in the UK – about two-thirds of British adults are overweight or obese – even though it was not included in the new study.

Research by Frontier Economics has put the annual cost to the UK of people living with excess weight at £98bn, as measured by healthcare costs and lost productivity.

Kat Jenner, the director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: “This research lays it bare – high rates of obesity-related disease is driving down economic productivity, with devastating economic impacts. Prioritising the nation’s food-related ill-health is vital for any government serious about improving wellbeing, increasing growth and ensuring the sustainability of the NHS.”

The new findings are based on a study of 122,598 people from 26 European countries, who were representative of the 147 million people who were in employment. The study included Spain, Italy and Denmark but not the UK or France, as they did not provide data to the most recent European Health Interview Survey.

The findings were produced by Siegfried Eisenberg, Dr Thomas Czypionka and colleagues at the health economics and health policy research group at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Vienna.

Overweight and obese people are also more likely than normal-weight counterparts to take at least seven days off sick a year, they found.

The report said: “People with overweight and obesity have higher probability of being absent from work due to health issues and it is more likely that the number of days absent is higher compared to people reporting [a] BMI of 18.5 to 25 across all European countries.

“Overall, overweight and obesity have a significant impact in the working population and thus on productivity losses and increased economic burden.”

The researchers will present their conclusions today at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice.