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Industry News

 

Group Says Employers Need More Guidance to Address Obesity

Wednesday May 28, 2008

 

Washington — May 22
Employers and employees agree: The workplace is an appropriate setting for responding to weight management issues, according to new research by the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance and the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.

Lead NORC researchers said the survey findings demonstrate willingness and a desire for help. Across the board, all employees — including people who are average weight, overweight and obese — exhibited a strong desire for weight management help from their employers. They also indicated a willingness to pay more for various workplace weight-loss options, including exercise programs and nutritional counseling. Employers also acknowledged their role in providing obesity prevention and management options for their employees.

“Effective obesity prevention interventions can help save millions of American lives and reduce health care costs in our nation. The workplace is where adults spend the bulk of their time and employers can play an important role in promoting healthy lifestyles and providing options to overcome overweight and obesity,” said Richard H. Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS, 17th surgeon general of the United States (2002-06). “With its diverse collaboration of organizations, the STOP Obesity Alliance is uniquely positioned to help employers identify new, effective solutions that address the nation’s obesity epidemic.”

Relating to this need, two STOP Obesity Alliance Steering Committee members, DMAA: The Care Continuum Alliance and Service Employees International Union (SEIU), have joined to examine an obesity benefit designed by DMAA that may be piloted by SEIU employees. This effort, which if executed will be evaluated for effectiveness, supports a STOP Obesity Alliance policy recommendation for innovative approaches to preventing and managing overweight and obesity. It also typifies the kind of innovation that could help the country take a step toward overcoming obesity.

Key survey findings:

• 71 percent of employers view offering obesity-related services as appropriate.
• 80 percent of employees, regardless of weight, agree healthy lifestyles/weight management programs belong in the workplace.
• 73 percent of employers view offering obesity-related services as effective.
• 67 percent of employers are concerned about the effects of obesity on medical-claims expenses.
• 93 percent of employers see obesity as a preventable condition and the result of poor lifestyle choices.
• Fewer than half of employers believe their companies have given enough attention to obesity.

“Facing rising health care costs, employers are willing to address obesity head-on in the workplace,” said Jon Gabel, a senior fellow at NORC and principal investigator on the study. “By their actions, businesses seem to be saying that regardless of whose fault it is, obesity is my company’s problem. And I need to do something about it.”

Additional results from the survey are under review for future publication.

For more info: http://www.stopobesityalliance.org