Obesity Costs U.S. Companies as Much as $45 Billion a Year, The Conference Boa...( NEW YORK April 9 /- The rate of o...),Health

NEW YORK, April 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The rate of obesity in the United States has doubled in the last 30 years, and those extra pounds weigh on companies' bottom lines, according to a new report from The Conference Board. Today, 34 percent of American adults fit the definition of "obese." Obese employees cost U.S. private employers an estimated $45 billion annually in medical expenditures and work loss.

In a new report, Weights and Measures: What Employers Should Know about Obesity, The Conference Board examines the financial and ethical questions surrounding whether, and how, U.S. companies should address the obesity epidemic. The report was featured today on Marketplace, public radio's popular business program.

"Employers need to realize that obesity is not solely a health and wellness issue," says Labor Economist Linda Barrington, Research Director of The Conference Board Management Excellence Program and co-author of the report. "Employees' obesity-related health problems in the United States are costing companies billions of dollars each year in medical coverage and absenteeism. Employers need to pay attention to their workers' weights, for the good of the bottom line, as well as the good of the employees and of society."

Among the report's findings:

-- Obesity is associated with a 36-percent increase in spending on

healthcare services, more than smoking or problem drinking. More than

40 percent of U.S. companies have implemented obesity-reduction

programs, and 24 percent more said they plan to do so in 2008.

-- Estimates of ROI for wellness programs range from zero to $5 per $1

invested. ROI aside, these programs may give companies an edge in

recruiting and retaining desirable employees. Meanwhile, some say it

may be more effective just to award employees cash and prizes for

weight loss rather than devote resources to long-term wellness

programs
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