Ailing and overweight Americans cost billions in productivity

According to a Gallup-Healthways study released on Monday, the 86 percent of full-time U.S. workers who have weight or health issues miss an estimated 450 million extra days of work a year (compared with non-overweight healthy workers). "The high percentages of full-time U.S. workers who have less than ideal health are a significant drain on productivity [from absenteeism] for U.S. businesses," the report said. The $153 billion in annual lost productivity costs linked to unhealthy or overweight workers in the United States is more than four times the cost found in Britain, where the sharp difference is due to fewer unhealthy workers in Britain.  Only about 14 percent of full-time U.S. workers are of "normal" weight and have no chronic illnesses, compared with 20 percent in Britain, the study said.

Yahoo! Health/ Reuters, 10/17/2011