Desk jobs making more people obese, study finds

	Tweet

Desk jobs are increasing obesity, with many employees and employers ignorant of the risks of sitting down all day, researchers said on Wednesday.

“Obesity is an epidemic, rising at troubling proportions,” said John S. Evans, a senior lecturer at Harvard School of Public Health in the United States.

The School, which cooperates with the Cyprus International Institute for the Environment and Public Health, said a link between obesity and conditions in the workplace was growing.

"As the workplace becomes our second home, our traditional diets have been swapped for fast food that is high in saturates,” said Evans, one of the researchers.

Two billion people worldwide will be overweight by 2015, and more than 700 million will be obese, according to the researchers, whose EU-funded study examined exercise and working habits across the European Union.

“A basic cause of obesity related to the workplace is a lack of awareness of how serious this issue is among employers and employees,” said Athena Linos, an epidemiology lecturer at Athens University. “Factors include work-related stress, overtime and desk-bound jobs.”

The researchers found that 19 percent of Dutch citizens and 31 percent of Irish citizens perform no exercise at work. Fifty-five percent of Greeks and Croatians and 61 percent of French people do no exercise at all, Linos said.

A lack of designated areas for employees to store and eat their food, and a lack of onsite gyms were among the factors increasing obesity, the researchers said.

Researchers said employers should introduce fitness incentives for staff and offer a break from desk-bound routines.

“The word ‘fun’ is the most important word in promoting health in the workplace,” said Finn Berggren, president of the Gerlev P.E. and Sports Academy of Denmark.

By Sarah Ktisti
NICOSIA (Reuters)

RELATED STORIES:
Weight Loss Can be Contagious, Study Suggests   Toss Cravings, Lose Weight   Anti-obesity drugs with a modified lifestyle helps weight loss -new study   Dieting with the denomination, determination   Device makers urge coverage of weight-loss surgery   Frequent eating tied to less weight gain in girls   Pick Up the Cell Phone, Drop the Pounds   FDA takes aim at “unproven” HCG weight-loss brands   Nervous system activity may predict successful weight loss   Mid-Morning Snacking May Sabotage Weight-Loss Efforts   Safety data favors less-invasive weight-loss surgery   Exploring The Role Of Endoscopy In Treating Obesity

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]