Prevention of Weight Gain and Obesity in Occupational Populations: A New Target of Health Promotion Services at Worksites

Obesity is now a major health problem in many nations in both developed and developing countries. In the U.S., the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that 300,000 premature deaths each year are attributable to obesity, which is close to the 400,000 annual deaths due to cigarette smoking. In some countries, obesity-related health care costs have been estimated to amount to 5% or more of the total health care expenditure, imposing a considerable burden on national budgets. In the review of medical problems associated with obesity, Kopelman stated that obesity should no longer be regarded simply as a cosmetic problem affecting certain individuals, but as an epidemic that threatens global well being. Therefore, together with vigorous investigations on the biological bases including genetics involved in the development of obesity, the contributions of the daily life of people living in modern society, such as food intake, physical activity, and other factors as well as psychological status have been extensively explored in relation to weight gain, obesity and their consequences, aiming to devise effective measures for preventing obesity and improving the nations’ health. Meanwhile, various factors involved in performing jobs probably have a close relationship to the lifestyle and behavior of people, thereby contributing to weight gain and obesity. For a simple instance, poor job conditions may promote unhealthy behavior, which in turn expedites weight gain, but the nature of jobs in modern industries has not yet been fully investigated with regard to weight gain and obesity. In this article, we outline briefly the epidemic features of obesity in the modern world and its health implications, and propose here the prevention of weight gain and obesity as a new target of health promotion services at worksites in addition to other Abstract: Prevention of Weight Gain and Obesity in Occupational Populations: A New Target of Health Promotion Services at Worksites: Yuichi YAMADA, et al. Department of Hygiene, Kanazawa Medical University—Obesity has been recognized as a global epidemic threatening health and life. Today in Japan, obesity defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg/m2 is found in 2–3% of adults, but one in five men and women is defined as overweight with a BMI greater than 25, and thus the prevention of obesity should be targeted in health promotion services at worksites. Vigorous research is required in workplaces because a few work-related factors, such as socioeconomic status including job and position, job stress, extended work including overtime, shift or night work and sedentary work, have been suggested in the literature to promote weight gain and abdominal fat accumulation. The obesity prevention programs at worksites should not be focused on reducing weight in a few current obese workers, but on maintaining the current weight in the majority of workers to prevent the development of obesity and its consequences. The measurement of waist circumference is indispensable for assessing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in overweight and obese workers, and those at a high risk of CHD should be referred to medical professionals outside the workplace. The education programs at worksites on dieting and exercise for maintaining body weight should be conducted as a part of the whole lifestyle improvement programs on both a population and an individual basis. Considerable knowledge and skills for the education program are required for health care persons at worksites. Otherwise, professional support should be provided to them by some occupational health service agencies. (J Occup Health 2002; 44: 373–384) Review