Managing Obesity in the Workplace : Turning Tyrants Into Tools in Health Practice, Book 3

"Managing Obesity in the Workplace" comprehensively examines how obesity impacts business and provides examples of action that can be taken by employers to prevent weight gain and facilitate weight loss in their staff. A considered, evidence-based analysis of the extent of the obesity problem reveals how this public health epidemic affects all workplaces influencing fitness to work, sickness absence, discrimination and bullying. Case studies from around the world clearly illustrate the extent of the problem and offer practical, innovative and budget friendly solutions for all businesses, large and small. With a focus on nutrition, physical activity, motivation and education, this book is ideal for occupational health professionals, public health and primary care doctors and nurses, health and safety officers, and nutritionists and dieticians. Organisations promoting workplace health, including sports/exercise equipment suppliers, will find it enlightening reading, as will business owners and managers. [Ed.] Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Contents 6 Foreword 8 Preface 10 About the author 12 Dedication 13 1 Introduction: an overview 14 2 The background and scale of the obesity problem 20 3 The medical consequences of obesity 28 4 The workplace implications of obesity: the fit between worker and workplace 36 5 Prejudice and discrimination in employment and healthcare 44 6 Current management of obesity 54 7 The workplace setting: improving nutrition and promoting physical activity 66 8 Workplace design: improving nutrition and promoting physical activity 82 9A Health promotion: work task and workplace redesign and population approaches 88 9B Health promotion: the individual approach 96 10 Legal aspects of obesity and the Disability Discrimination Act 106 11 Further resources 112 Appendix 1: Common questions and answers 118 Appendix 2: Food labelling 120 Appendix 3: Popular diets, past and present 122 Appendix 4: Suggested eight-week programme for weight loss in a workplace 126 Appendix 5: Suggested healthy substitutions for traditional workplace buffet lunches 130 Appendix 6: Examples of nutritional interventions and increased physical activity 132 Appendix 7: American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2004 Labor Day checklist on obesity 136 Index 140 "Managing Obesity in the Workplace comprehensively examines how obesity impacts business and provides examples of action that can be taken by employers to prevent weight gain and facilitate weight loss in their staff. A considered, evidence-based analysis of the extent of the obesity problem reveals how this public health epidemic affects all workplaces, influencing fitness to work, sickness absence, discrimination and bullying. Case studies from around the world clearly illustrate the extent of the problem and offer practical, innovative and budget friendly solutions for all businesses, large and small." "With a focus on nutrition, physical activity, motivation and education, this book is an essential reference for occupational health professionals, public health and primary care doctors and nurses, health and safety officers, and nutritionists and dieticians. Organisations promoting workplace health, including sports/exercise equipment suppliers, will find it enlightening reading, as will business owners and managers."--Jacket Presenting an in-depth look at the impact of obesity in the workplace, not simply a self-help book on weight management ideas, this title covers all issues - sickness absence, fitness for work, use of protective equipment, ergonomics, discrimination and how to avoid it, and more