Obesity costs US firms up to $45B a year

The rate of obesity in the USA 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% of American adults fit the definition of "obese." These employees cost US private employers an estimated $45.0 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, US companies should address the obesity epidemic.

"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 USA 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," she added.