King's College London, Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Weston Education Centre, London, UK.
Occup Med (Lond). 2010 Aug;60(5):362-8. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqq031. Epub 2010 Mar 22.
Obesity is an increasing public health problem. A small number of studies have examined the relationship between obesity and sickness absence, with mixed results, particularly regarding short-term sickness absence.
To determine if obesity is associated with short- and long-term sickness absence and to investigate the mechanisms that may underlie any association.
Cross-sectional (n = 1489) and prospective (n = 625) analyses were conducted on staff from London Underground Ltd. All participants underwent regular clinical examinations that involved their height and weight being measured, obesity-related medical problems being diagnosed and psychiatric disorders being identified. The number of days taken for short- (<10 days in an episode) and long-term sickness absence were recorded by managers on an electronic database.
There was a positive linear association between employees' body mass index (BMI) and the number of days' work missed due to sickness absence on both cross-sectional and prospective analyses (P < 0.001). Obesity was a risk factor for both short- and long-term sickness absence. Obese individuals typically took an extra 4 days sick leave every year. The majority of the increased risk for long-term sickness absence appeared to be mediated via co-morbid chronic medical conditions. The excess short-term sickness absence was not explained by obesity-related medical problems, psychiatric disorders or workplace factors.
Obese employees take significantly more short- and long-term sickness absence than workers of a healthy weight. There is growing evidence to support employers becoming more involved in tackling obesity.
肥胖是一个日益严重的公共卫生问题。少数研究探讨了肥胖与病假之间的关系，结果不一，尤其是在短期病假方面。
确定肥胖是否与短期和长期病假有关，并探讨可能导致这种关联的机制。
对伦敦地铁有限公司的员工进行了横断面（n=1489）和前瞻性（n=625）分析。所有参与者都接受了常规的临床检查，包括测量身高和体重、诊断肥胖相关的医疗问题以及识别精神障碍。管理人员在电子数据库中记录了因短期（每次病假不到 10 天）和长期病假而缺勤的天数。
在横断面和前瞻性分析中，员工的体重指数（BMI）与因病假缺勤的天数之间呈正线性关联（P<0.001）。肥胖是短期和长期病假的一个风险因素。肥胖个体通常每年额外请 4 天病假。长期病假风险增加的大部分似乎是通过合并的慢性医疗状况来介导的。肥胖相关的医疗问题、精神障碍或工作场所因素并不能解释额外的短期病假。
肥胖员工请的短期和长期病假明显多于体重健康的员工。越来越多的证据支持雇主更多地参与解决肥胖问题。
