Strategies to Address Obesity in America’s Workforce
Obesity is a public health issue present around the globe
In the US, 42% of the population is classified as having obesity, with the number predicted to rise to half the population by 2030. The cost to the US economy of treating the disease and the complex range of conditions for which it is a precursor, including type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and a range of cancers, is significant, amounting to a cumulative $1.4tn in 2019. The implications for business are equally alarming. Rising rates of obesity equate to increased absenteeism, decreasing productivity, growing bills for medical costs, higher premiums, and declining business resilience.
Businesses can play a central role in addressing obesity. Employees spend a third of their lives in the workplace. As such, employers have an enormous opportunity to support healthy behaviours and access to care for employees’ health and well-being. For the most part, efforts have failed to significantly bend the curve of steadily rising health impacts and medical costs. However, new and innovative approaches, from bariatric surgery to new and more effective obesity care therapeutics, and emerging insights from behavioural health are modernizing the way we think about and approach the management of the disease.
This hybrid briefing held in partnership with Eli Lilly and Company brought together US business leaders, human resource and benefits experts along with leading health economists and health plans to discuss the employee, business, and economic impact of obesity in the workplace and innovative approaches that can yield sustainable long-lasting results for the benefit of employees and the business.
Please note: the content of this event for both digital and in-person is intended for a US audience only.
Tackling the business and health impacts | In-Person and Digital Conference
Understanding obesity: a complex, multifactorial disease
Despite evidence to the contrary, obesity is too often viewed as a lifestyle choice that can be fixed by simply ‘eating less, moving more’. In reality, obesity is a complex, multifactorial disease linked to genetics, metabolic adaptation and social inequalities, among other factors.
Expanding the employer’s toolkit for addressing workplace obesity: Aligning with the latest evidence
Employers increasingly acknowledge that active weight management and obesity care are important to preventative healthcare and strengthening workplace resilience. However, they deviate on what type of weight management and obesity care program they should adopt to manage their concerns regarding clinical efficacy and rising costs.
Leading the charge: The employer’s experience and perspective
Employees spend a third of their lives in the workplace. As such, employers have an enormous opportunity to support healthy behaviours and access to care for employees’ health and well-being.
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