Britain’s obesity crisis is keeping more than 600,000 people out of employment, it has been revealed.
Research from the University of York, which examined data from the UK Biobank, found that being obese reduces an individual’s likelihood of holding a job by 4.2 percentage points.
This equates to approximately four out of every 100 obese adults being unemployed purely as a consequence of their weight, highlighting the significant economic toll of the nation’s problem.
With official figures showing 15 million British adults classified as obese, experts have cautioned about the “substantial economic losses” resulting from weight-related barriers to daily activity that are forcing people out of the workforce.
The researchers analysed information from 284,258 UK Biobank participants, assessing body mass index alongside weight-to-height and waist-to-hip measurements.
Among those studied, the overall employment rate stood at 75.5 per cent, with roughly one-quarter meeting the clinical definition of obesity by having a BMI exceeding 30.
Those carrying excess weight generally had lower employment rates and were less likely to hold university qualifications than their non-obese counterparts.
Dr Aharon Katz, who led the research, said: “Tackling obesity isn’t just a health imperative, it’s an opportunity to boost economic productivity.”
Britain’s obesity crisis is keeping more than 600,000 people out of employment
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He added: “Because obesity affects workers in the prime years of their working lives, it may have profound effects on their working careers, individual health and societal costs.”
The study uncovered a striking disparity between the sexes, with obesity proving far more damaging to male employment prospects.
Men saw their chances of being in work fall by 6.6 percentage points due to their weight, compared with just 2.1 percentage points for women.
Dr Katz said: “These contrasting findings point to different labour-market consequences of obesity for men and women.
Research found that being obese reduces an individual’s likelihood of holding a job by 4.2 percentage points
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He added: The differences may reflect variations in occupational sorting, health-related work limitations, employer discrimination, or broader social roles that influence employment decisions differently by gender.”
The research also identified education as a buffer against weight-related joblessness.
Obese individuals are significantly more likely to lack qualifications and be unemployed, whilst degree holders appear to enjoy a “protective effect”.
The Government has responded to these findings by launching pilot programmes that will provide weight-loss injections to unemployed individuals as part of efforts to boost workforce participation.
Approximately four out of every 100 obese adults are unemployed purely as a consequence of their weight
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Separate research presented earlier this year demonstrated that such treatments cut sick days by nearly half, with absences dropping 45 per cent after nine months and longer-term absences of five days or more falling by 56 per cent.
Experts have suggested a wider rollout could free up close to 10 million GP appointments whilst reducing obesity-related A&E visits by a quarter.
Britain’s weight problem has worsened dramatically, with obesity rates doubling since the 1990s.
Currently, two-thirds of UK adults are either overweight or obese.
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