If your body mass index reveals you are overweight, the risks associated with your size are no longer limited to personal health. The economic overflow to your employer by way of increased health care costs and upped risk of injury at work. Considering the many detrimental effects of being overweight, the benefits of weight loss and management continue to mount.
Identification of Body Mass Index
BMI is a screening tool used to identify people who are overweight or obese. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight and a BMI at or over 30 is considered obese. Being overweight or obese increases your risks of developing type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, heart disease, stroke, gall bladder disease and other health problems. Along with personal health risks, an increased body mass index may also become a problem at work.
Significance
There is a relationship between higher BMI and workplace injuries, short-term disability, compensation claims and lost man-hours. The results of a study published in the April 2007 issue of "Archives of Internal Medicine" revealed worker's compensation claims filed by employees with a BMI over 40 were more than double of those by healthy-weight employees. Lost work days for the obese group were over 12 times as high as the healthy-weight group and medical costs were almost seven times higher. Another study, published in the January 2007 issue of "American Journal of Epidemiology," discovered 85 percent of all injured employees in a manufacturing plant were classified as overweight or obese. The odds of injury for employees in the obese group were more than double that of healthy-weight employees.
Most Common Injuries
The most common injuries in the workplace suffered by employees with high body mass indexes occurred in the leg or knee while other frequent injuries were in the wrist, hand, and back. Common complaints were inflammation, pain, contusions, strains and sprains. A 1994 study published in the medical journal, "Muscle & Nerve" reviewed 949 patient records and found that patients with a BMI over 29 were 2.5 times more likely to be diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome than patients with a healthy BMI.
Prevention/Solution
The Bureau of Labor Statistics considers workplace wellness programs an important tool in reducing medical costs and increasing worker productivity. Developing or improving employee wellness programs may result in healthier employees, fewer injuries, improved productivity and reduced medical costs. The "Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine" published a study in 2008 which focused on a company with an employee wellness program. The researchers evaluated health care costs during a four-year period to establish cost-effectiveness. The study found the company had saved over $1.3 million as a result of lower health care costs incurred by program participants.
References
- Weight-control Information Network: Do You Know The Health Risks Of Being Overweight?
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Assessing Your Weight And Health Risk
- "Archives of Internal Medicine"; Obesity and Workers' Compensation; Ostbye, et al; April 2007
- "American Journal of Epidemiology"; Association between Body Mass Index and Acute Traumatic Workplace Injury in Hourly Manufacturing Employees; Pollack, et al; Jan. 2007
- "Muscle & Nerve"; The relationship between body mass index and the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome; Werner, et al; June 1994
- "Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine"; Employee Wellness Programs Healthcare Costs; Naydeck, et al; Feb. 2008
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