Reducing obesity in work organizations.

Abstract

The problem of overweight and obesity has been called an emerging "public health epidemic" of major proportions. In this issue of The Art of Health Promotion the focus is on the magnitude of the problem for employers and possible interventions that can help reduce obesity in working populations. Thirty-five possible intervention strategies from the "least invasive" to the "most invasive" are identified. Issues of cost, economic effectiveness and relative invasiveness are addressed in the ordering of the possible interventions. Finally a set of metrics are suggested for measuring the trends and effects of the use of multiple interventions targeted on obesity within a particular work force.