SAT657 Work Loss Among Privately Insured Employees With Overweight And Obesity In The United States
Authors: Shinde Shraddha , Jerry Michelle , Tran Anh Thu , Lee Clare J 
Published: October 2023

Disclosure: S. Shinde: Employee; Self; Eli Lilly & Company. M. Jerry: Employee; Self; Merative. A. Tran: Employee; Self; Merative. C.J. Lee: Employee; Self; Eli Lilly & Company.

Background and objectives: Obesity is a significant public health issue affecting approximately 42% of the United States (US) population. However, few studies have evaluated the impact of overweight and obesity on work productivity in recent years. By understanding the burden of overweight and obesity on employee health and function, employers and healthcare providers will be able to develop appropriate programs to improve the wellbeing and work productivity of employees. This study aimed to measure work loss and associated productivity costs among employees with overweight and obesity compared to employees with normal weight in the US. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used the MarketScan databases to identify employees (aged ≥18 years) with ≥1 diagnosis code reporting a body mass index (BMI) between 1/1/2015-12/31/2019. Employees were assigned to the normal weight (BMI 19-24.9), overweight (BMI 25-29.9), obesity class 1 (BMI 30-34.9), obesity class 2 (BMI 35-39.9), and obesity class 3 (BMI ≥40) cohorts based on their earliest BMI (index) with BMI thresholds defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among employees with data for each category of work loss (absenteeism, short-term disability [STD], long-term disability [LTD], or worker’s compensation [WC]) during the 12-month follow-up period, the percentage of employees with work loss, number of hours/days lost from work, and costs associated with productivity loss were reported. Results: 719,482 total employees (normal weight: 106,631, overweight: 230,637, obesity class 1: 185,850, obesity class 2: 101,909, obesity class 3: 94,455) were included in the analysis. Roughly 14%, 83%, 75%, and 60% of all included employees were eligible for analysis of absence, STD, LTD, and WC, respectively. Among employees with ≥1 absence hour, the number of hours absent increased with each higher BMI category (mean hours [in order of BMI category]=262.1, 272.5, 284.9, 289.6, 304.2). The percentage of employees with a STD, LTD, or WC claim also increased with each higher BMI category (STD: 6.8%, 7.6%, 9.7%, 11.7%, 17.0%; LTD: 0.4%, 0.4%, 0.5%, 0.6%, 0.8%; WC: 2.7%, 2.8%, 3.4%, 3.6%, 3.5%, respectively). Attributable estimated costs to the employer due to the loss in productivity associated with absenteeism, STD, LTD, and WC were $1,036, $611, $38, and $91 higher per year (respectively) for individuals in the obesity class 3 cohort relative to the normal weight cohort. Conclusion: This real-world analysis demonstrated that employees with overweight and obesity have higher loss of work productivity as measured by absenteeism, STD, LTD, and WC compared to employees with normal weight. Furthermore, the loss of work productivity was greater with each higher BMI category. Future studies are warranted to better understand factors that can improve employee health and productivity.

Presentation: Saturday, June 17, 2023