BMI and Labor Market Participation: A Cohort Study of Transitions Between Work, Unemployment, and Sickness Absence

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to test the hypotheses that individuals with obesity are at higher risk of unemployment and sickness absence and have a lower chance of getting employed compared with individuals with normal weight. Methods Data on weight and height were collected at baseline from 87,796 participants in the Danish National Health Survey 2010. Participants were then followed in national registers for 5 years. Outcome measures were transitions from employment to unemployment and sickness absence and the transitions from unemployment or sickness absence to employment. Data were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for potential confounders. Results Hazard ratios for unemployment were 1.18 (95% CI: 1.10‐1.26) for individuals with obesity and 1.27 (95% CI: 1.14‐1.41) for individuals with severe obesity compared with individuals with normal weight. Participants with obesity also had a higher risk of sickness absence. Additionally, participants with obesity who were unemployed at baseline had a lower chance of becoming employed compared with participants with normal weight. Conclusions Obesity was associated with a higher risk of unemployment and sickness absence compared with individuals with normal weight. Additionally, obesity was associated with a lower chance of employment.

BMI and Medically Certified Long‐Term Sickness Absence Among Japanese Employees

“…The present findings of an increased risk of LTSA associated with obesity in men are in line with those reported in previous studies . The effect size observed in our study (i.e., HR = 1.47‐1.81) was more or less equivalent to those reported in previous studies on LTSA (i.e., sick leave lasting for approximately 30 days or longer).…”

“…More studies are needed to confirm whether the association between underweight and LTSA observed in our study also exists in Western countries despite the difference in social norms (e.g., working hours, work‐life balance, gender imbalance at workplace) . It should also be mentioned that previous studies on the association between underweight and SA of any duration reported conflicting results (positive association, inverse association, and no association) , which warrants further investigation.…”

“…Some important issues remain to be addressed. First, in contrast to the extensive research on the association between excess weight and SA, the association in relation to underweight has been under‐researched, and the results are inconsistent . This might be an important omission in our knowledge, particularly in non‐Western settings, where obesity prevalence is not as high as those reported in high‐income Western countries .…”

“…Several studies have reported an increase in the risk of SA associated with excess weight . For example, a systematic review of 36 studies by Neovius et al concluded that obesity increases the risk of SA, albeit with different definitions in terms of duration of SA, data source (self‐report vs. objectively recorded), and causes of SA (all‐cause vs. cause‐specific).…”

Body Mass Index (BMI) and Work Ability in Older Workers: Results from the Health and Employment after Fifty (HEAF) Prospective Cohort Study

“…The impact of government policies to encourage individuals to postpone their retirement may be reduced if obesity limits work ability (defined as a worker's capacity to sustain employment in his or her current job, given the demands of the job and his or her individual resources) [9], thereby increasing the likelihood of premature exit from the labour market. Previous research has indicated that obesity may impact on an individual's work ability [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] which could, in turn, increase indirect societal costs (those resulting from reduced work productivity) [19][20][21]. According to at least one estimate, these may be greater than the direct health-care costs of obesity [22].…”