Karlene Meister

A recent Gallup poll showed that 86% of full-time workers are either obese or have other health issues, and almost half are both obese and have at least one chronic health issue. This in turn is costing the economy more than $153 billion a year in lost productivity.

But the bigger problem is not obesity, but chronic health issues, such as diabetes, heart attacks, asthma, high blood pressure, etc. Nearly 60% of workers polled said they had a continuing health issue.

The estimated loss of $153 billion does not include workers who are in poor health but who go to work and are less productive. The estimate also does not include part-time workers.

Researchers suspect that the slow economy makes chronic health conditions worse as the high unemployment rate, plus demand on workers to do more with less, creates stress, which in turn puts workers at risk for becoming obese and developing health problems.

Do share your thoughts with us. Why do you think America has an obesity problem? How do you deal with obesity in the workplace?