Obesity rates take a toll on employers Working Well By Jeffrey Williamson-Link With two-thirds of Americans overweight or obese, employers will want to take a hard look at how their companies are financially affected by employees’ weight-related illness and injuries. According to a report by The Conference Board, a business research group, obese employees cost private employers in this country about $45 billion in medical expenses and work loss each year. Most employers recognize that medical coverage and absenteeism are high for this group because the obese are at increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, some forms of cancer, osteoarthritis and a host of other ailments. Less known is the impact of obesity on workers’ compensation costs.  A 2007 Duke Health and Safety Surveillance System study of more than 11,000 employees concluded that an employee’s body mass index has a strong influence on the likelihood and type of injury that they may suffer.  Body mass index is a formula for determining amount of body fat based on a person’s height and weight.  The higher the BMI, the higher the risk of health problems.   Researchers found the worker’s compensation claim rate for the heaviest employees to be twice that of the recommended-weight workers.  The number of lost workdays was almost 13 times higher, medical claims costs were seven times higher, and indemnity claims costs were 11 times higher among the heaviest workers.  The injury rate for the high BMI group was higher for injuries to most parts of the body, but the injuries most closely related to obesity were to the back, wrist, arm, neck, shoulder, knee, foot and hip. There are a number of options employers can consider for managing these obesity-related healthcare costs, and helping their employees become healthier:   •    A safety assessment of your work areas is a good place to start.  The evaluation will include some questions applicable to all employees, but especially critical for the seriously overweight:  Does your company’s safety policy include fall prevention measures, such as promptly placed signage marking wet floors?  Do your work stations incorporate good ergonomic principles?  Other questions will be applicable to obese employees, visitors and customers alike, e.g.:  Do you have furniture sturdy enough to safely hold the largest person who will be sitting in it? •    Another area where employee obesity can be an important consideration is in negotiation of your employee health plans.  Should an incentive (e.g., reduction in premium) be provided for overweight employees who participate in a weight management program?  Should nutrition counseling, drugs and weight loss surgery for obese employees be part of your benefits package?  Bariatric surgery is a major gastrointestinal operation for people who are more than 100 pounds overweight.  It’s a costly option but often results in significant weight loss and improvement in diabetes, blood pressure and sleep apnea.  Every employer needs to weigh the pros and cons of each benefit option.  But given the growing number of people struggling with weight issues, a multi-faceted weight management benefit also may support employee retention. •    Finally, by implementing a health promotion program, including nutrition education (see the sidebar, “Weight management in the workplace”), employers can play an important role in motivating employees to manage their weight.  A specific program that’s worked well at some companies is offering an employee award for a significant healthy lifestyle achievement, such as a major weight loss.  Other companies have sponsored a departmental competition for the largest percentage weight loss. The results of all these efforts can be a reduction in worker’s comp and other health costs, healthier and potentially happier employees, and a more productive workforce. Jeffrey Williamson-Link, MD, medical director of corporate health at Edward Hospital, contributed to this article in cooperation with Edward Hospital.  Please direct your corporate health questions to jwilliamson-link@edward.org

Posted on Thursday, July 02, 2009 (Archive on Thursday, July 09, 2009) Posted by jstoltz  Contributed by jstoltz

Return