US companies sign up to slim down workforce

Wired on Friday Carol PowerSome corporations are so concerned about the amount of time employees are taking off for medical reasons because they are overweight that they have introduced weight loss incentive programs.

According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly 65 per cent of American adults are overweight and diabetes has doubled between 1980 and 2000 to 12 million cases.

Obesity among workers is estimated to cost American companies over $12 billion (€10.7 billion) a year in increased absenteeism, lower productivity and higher insurance premiums, according to the Washington Business Group on Health, a group of 175 employers that provides healthcare benefits for 40 million people.

The group calculates obesity is associated with 39 million lost workdays and 63 million additional doctor visits a year.

"Research has shown that the overall impact of obesity on health and costs outweighs even that of smoking," said Ms Helen Darling, president of the Washington Business Group on Health. "As a result, no company in America can afford to ignore the problem of obese and overweight employees."

On June 17th, the group launched the Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity to help corporate America reduce the impact of obesity and weight-related conditions in the workplace.

Fidelity Investments, Ford Motor Company, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Group, IBM and Microsoft are among 200 companies that have become members.

Some companies have already begun to organise competitions for employees to lose weight by having weekly weigh-ins at work. Rewards for losing the most weight can range from receiving cash to giving a paid day off, to doubling employee bonuses or subsidising gym membership.

"Every company in the United States should play a role in combating the obesity epidemic," Ms Darling said.

"Even small, inexpensive initiatives such as providing nutritional information in company cafeterias, or encouraging workers to take the stairs, contribute to worker health."

If diet and exercise fail, a procedure that has steadily been gaining popularity is called bariatric surgery.

Bariatric surgery is a major gastrointestinal operation that seals off most of the stomach to reduce the amount of food one can eat and it reroutes the small intestine to reduce the calories the body can absorb.

The stomach is either stapled or shrunk surgically. After the operation, patients must adopt new eating habits because overeating might make them vomit.

Bariatric surgery is meant for people who are classified as "morbidly obese". What this means for men is to be overweight by 100lbs and for women to be overweight by 80lbs and having a body mass index of 40+. Body mass index (BMI) is measure of body fat based on height and weight. It is estimated that one in 2,000 people in America is morbidly obese and the number of people eligible for the procedure is growing by 10 to 12 per cent a year. Some patients who undergo the procedure can lose from 100- 200lbs.

The number of people who underwent bariatric surgery surged more than 40 per cent to 80,000 last year and the figure is expected to climb to 120,000 this year.

Spurring acceptance of the procedure are celebrities like Al Roker, the weatherman on the NBC Today show, Sharon Osbourne of MTV's The Osbournes and the singer Carnie Wilson, who have all had bariatric surgery and seen their weight cut in half.

The operation costs upwards of $25,000 with lifelong follow-up recommended. Spending on bariatrics is approaching $3 billion a year. Insurance companies often baulk at the price and do not pay for exercise programmes or counselling, which are sometimes required following an operation.

There can also be serious side effects to the operation, including death. If someone runs into complications, he may need to return to the hospital for long-term stay or he may need follow-up treatment.

Some doctors say that obesity is usually a symptom of a broader problem; for example, for someone who eats to feel better after he has suffered a trauma, cutting his stomach in half won't help repair the deeper psychological issue. Some doctors also caution that the side effects are permanent whereas the weight loss might not be.

But hospitals that offer bariatric surgery are seeing business thrive. Some of the most active hospitals for bariatric procedures are in New York, Boston and California. Hospitals in New York state reported 4,670 procedures last year up from 1,981 in 2,000.

New research shows obesity being linked to the environment. Released last month by the American Journal of Public Health, the study called "Relationship between urban sprawl and physical activity, obesity, and morbidity", shows people who live in more sprawling areas are likely to weigh six pounds more than people who live in densely populated areas like New York city.

The American suburb, where residents often depend on their cars to get anywhere, may contribute to medical problems such as obesity, depression, asthma and high blood pressure.