Being obese doesn’t just put a strain on your health, it hits your hip pocket too.
Researchers at George Washington University in the US have calculated the annual cost of being obese to a person’s wage at US$4879 ($5105) for women and US$2646 ($2769) for men, the Associated Press reported.
The researchers took into account things such as sick days, lost employee productivity, the need for extra petrol and the cost of higher medical bills in their review of previous research.
The study, which was funded by a gastric band manufacturer, found that being overweight rather than obese cost less, but it was still a staggering US$524 ($548) for women and US$432 ($452) for men each year.
The study found that women who were obese or became obese were more likely to earn less than their skinnier female colleagues. In what might seem like an unfair battle of the sexes, the research indicated that men who put on weight suffered no change in wages.
This was one finding that surprised study co-author, Christine Ferguson. “This indicates you’re not that disadvantaged as a guy, from a wage perspective,” the professor of health policy said.
“While there is reliable evidence supporting a relationship between obesity and wages by gender, we do not yet know why the relationship is clear for women, but not for men.”
Ferguson said she hopes this research can help policy advisors fight the battle of the bulge.
“These data, coupled with the widely reported costs of obesity to society, continue to highlight the enormous overall financial impact of this epidemic,” Ferguson said.
“Being able to quantify the individual’s economic burden of excess weight may give new urgency to public policy discussions regarding solutions for the obesity epidemic.”
According to the World Health Organization, two-thirds of Australian women and three-quarters of Australian men are overweight or obese.
Your say: Do you think this research could help curb the obesity epidemic?
