Employee Health Costs Rise with Obesity

Contact: Kay Coyne, 847/228-6850, X152, [email protected]

Employee Health Costs Rise With Obesity

Chicago, September 1998--Obesity is closely related to employee health care costs, reports a study in the September issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).

The study led by Wayne N. Burton, MD, Corporate Medical Director of First Chicago NBD, compared Body Mass Index (BMI) of 3,000 employees with their health care needs and its costs. Health care costs were lowest for workers with a BMI of 25-27. This is equivalent to a body weight of approximately 155 lbs. for a woman 5 ft. 6 ins. tall, or 174lbs. for a 5 ft. 10 in. man.

The findings indicate that health costs rise with worker BMI and suggest an "economically optimal" BMI at which health care costs are lowest. BMI is calculated by dividing the employee's weight in kilograms by the square of his/her height in meters. Obesity has been defined as a BMI of 27.8 or higher for men, and 27.3 or higher for women.

Workers with an "at-risk" BMI had a higher rate of other health risks, such as insufficient exercise, lower life satisfaction, and diabetes. They used twice as many sick days as those with a lower BMI, averaging 8.5 days vs. 3.7 days over three years, respectively. Therefore, sick day costs over three years per employee were $1,500 vs. $700, respectively.

Three year costs were $7,000 per employee for those with a BMI of 25 or higher, compared with $4,500 for those with a BMI below 25. This difference was especially pronounced for women over age 45 with elevated BMI. Their health care costs increased for nearly all major disease classifications, including mental, circulatory, digestive, respiratory, and musculoskeletal disorders.

Workers with a BMI of greater than 30 constituted only 19% of the population but accounted for 26% of total health care claims and 29% of total health care costs.

The results suggest that workers over 45 years of age, particularly women, with an elevated BMI are at increased risk of complications caused by obesity, and represent the most promising focus of employee weight reduction programs.

By helping workers to achieve a healthier weight, businesses will be likely to reduce overall medical and short-term disability costs. Losing weight will benefit workers as well, reducing risk of disease, personal health care costs, and sick days and resulting in a longer and healthier life.

ACOEM, an international society of 7,000 occupational and environmental physicians, provides leadership to promote optimal health and safety of workers, workplaces, and environments.