Obesity, work and employment

摘要

Obesity is defined by the Royal College of Physicians as 'a disorder in which excess fat has accumulated to an extent that health maybe adversely affected'. The Department of Health's chief medical officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, declared it as a priority for action and the Government's 2004 public health white paper, Choosing health: making healthy choices easier, identified the workplace as a setting for intervention. But why all this interest and activity and what are the implications for employers and occupational health providers? Obesity is now the major cause of preventable ill health problems in the UK. More than half the population are 'overweight' - defined as having a body mass index (BMI) in excess of 25 kg/m~2 - and more than 22% of both men and women are 'obese' (BMI greater than 30 kg/m~2). But it is not just the numbers of overweight and obese people that are causing concern; it is the rate at which more and more of us are becoming overweight and obese. The Health Survey for England found that between 1993 and 2002 the percentage of obese men increased from 13% to 22%, and the percentage of obese women increased from 16% to 23%.