Impact of Obesity on Absenteeism of Healthcare Workers and its Relation to Stress

Obesity and Absenteeism

What Is The Impact Of Obesity On Absenteeism Of Staff And How It Affects The Stress Level Of Healthcare Worker?

Obesity can be identified as a medical condition that occurs when excess body fat is accumulated that creates an adverse impact on health. Different risk factors are associated with this condition that includes cardiovascular disease, diabetes and high blood pressure (Theodore, McLean & TeMorenga, 2015). Moreover, obese person are also having high risk of cancer. This problem is becoming predominant especially in urban setting. Absenteeism in the workplace is a major impact of obesity, which was noticed in different previous studies. It was found that major portion of absentees consumes improper diet and leads an unhealthy lifestyle, which causes obesity (Fitzgerald, Kirby, Murphy & Geaney, 2016). In this research it was proved that obesity and obesity related diseases like diabetes, stroke and heart failure are some major causes of employee productivity loss in a workplace and absenteeism. The problem of obesity increases the chance of absenteeism by 72%, which occurs due to high-quality diet and low engagement in physical activity (Fitzgerald, Kirby, Murphy & Geaney, 2016).

New Zealand is considered as third highest adult obese country among OECD and obesity rates is still rising here. It can be seen that 1 in 3 adults in this country and 1 in 10 children are obese. Furtur, 35% of adults in this country are overweight with high risk of obesity. Moreover, it was seen that about 15% of maori children and 25% of pacific children are suffering from obesity (Healthnavigator.org.nz, 2019). Moreover, high levels of stress also causes different impacts like chest pains, low sleep rate, which contributes to absenteeism (Healthnavigator.org.nz, 2019). Healthcare workers faces stress due to work pressure, improper work environment and complicated patients.

Approximately 48% people of maori community are suffering from obesity and it is affecting their daily lives (Health.govt.nz, 2019). On the other hand, more than 66% of pacific people of NZ are dealing with this disease. Among the NZ population, more than 135 Asian people and near about 29% Europeans are obsessed. As mentioned by Theodore, McLean & TeMorenga (2015), overweight is one of the main reasons behind loss of productivity and absenteeism. Obsessed workforce includes people with certain diseases like diabetes, cancer, heart disease and others. It is very obvious that this kind of people is unable to perform well due to their physical problems. Hence, obsessed workforce leads to absenteeism.

Obesity in New Zealand

Many researchers have investigated the consequences of obesity and findings of these searching indicate that obesity reduces the ability of a person to perform and it can cause many harmful diseases. Obesity creates stress in people, which can reduce the ability to work and concentrate. As stated by Fitzgerald et al.  (2016), healthcare workers of NZ often face issues due to lack of energy to work, higher stress levels and suffering from diseases.  However, the impact of obesity on business has not been evaluated. Due to this reason, this study is focusing on investigating the relation between obesity and absenteeism of healthcare workers.

In 1997, the government has measured that the number of deaths due to obesity was approximately 3000, which was considered as 11% of total deaths in NZ (Foe.org.nz, 2020). The NZ government has taken several initiatives for addressing the issue of obesity and stress. Healthy Active learning, Eating and Activity guideline, Healthy Families NZ, Physical activity guidelines, advising about stress management and other clinical guidelines have been formed to deal with these issues (Health.govt.nz, 2019).  

Obesity is now a worldwide problem that has impacted the workforce to a great extent. About 1.9 billion adults are overweight and 650 million are obese. This huge numbr of overweight and obese people among workforce are increasing loss of productivity. Loss of productivity contributes to the indirect costs of an organization. As said by Goettler, Grosse & Sonntag (2017), customized prevention program in the workplace can help a healthcare organization to decrease the rate of obesity and reduce absenteeism.

Obesity causes different physical and mental problems, which increases stress level.  This causes absence from work and a recent study found that workplace absence cost the economy $1.51 billion in the year of 2016 (Nzherald.co.nz, 2018). In a study conducted by Rosnah, Idris, Azmi & Hassim (2017), it was found that obesity is directly associated with psychological stress responses like tension and anxiety. This tension and anxiety can occur due to job demands and environment in the workplace. Stress can be defined as a response of an individual due to some environmental or physical conditions. Moreover, Koski & Naukkarinen (2017) argued that obesity can occur due to hereditary problem and abnormal diet. Different stress factors like poor parental support from childhood also contributes to poor mental and physical growth. This causes obesity as lack of parental support also deficits nutrition and healthy diet. Chronic stress is identified as a risk factor of obesity. Increased levels of basal sympathetic nervous system activation can be seen in those people with disorders like diabetes.  This disease is seen commonly in obese peoples. The impact of stress can also be seen in appetite and human diet that can give rise to obesity Ticharwa, Cope & Murray (2019). It has been observed that people with high levels of stress have craving to have calorie rich food, which is also called comfort food for them. These foods are high in fat, protein and sugar. Thus, obesity is high related with stress. Moreover, Tomiyama  (2019) argued that having awareness about healthy eating is very essential for individuals which helps to increase consciousness of diet. Unconscious or mindless eating habit is associated with a stressful life that influences the occurrence of obesity. Stress in the workplace is generally associated with increased consumption of fast food, which instigates obesity.

Stress and Healthcare Workers

In NZ, there are several government approaches available that are helping people from different ethnicity to deal with stress and obesity. According to Harb et al. (2017), these approaches help people to stay fit and healthy mentally and physically, which can help them to perform well at workplaces. The government of this country has developed the Health Active Learning under the Wellbeing budget of 2019. Aim of this initiative is to encourage future workforce to maintain a certain body weight to avoid the issues related to obesity. This initiative has been taken collaboratively by the Sports NewZealand and the ministries of health and education. As mentioned by Choudhury (2019), the updated Eating and Activity guideline for adults of NZ is helpful for guiding people regarding healthy eating for staying fit. It helps to understand the importance of having a healthy diet and regular physical activity.

Physical Activity Guidelines has been developed to guide young people about the importance of exercise for avoiding obesity and stress. As mentioned by Jackson & Frame (2018), this guideline can help health workers to stay fit through exercising, which can help them to be energetic at the workplace. Healthy Families NZ initiative has been taken in approximately 10 places of this country to encourage families to stay healthy through maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This initiative is helping families to take care of body weight of every member of the family. For improving nutrition and increasing physical activity, the government of NZ has planned initiatives Activities Families (Foe.org.nz, 2020).

Besides, there are several approaches, taken by the government of the country and other authorities to help healthcare workers to get rid of stress. As mentioned by Goettler, Grosse & Sonntag (2017), healthcare workers are responsible to provide the best care and cure to the patients and it is very important for them to remain stress free. However, in the healthcare sector, these people face extreme workload and it creates stress. Several authorities are there, who help in managing stress. These authorities are Health navigator, the Mental Health Foundation, NHS Choice, and others (Health.govt.nz, 2019). These organizations guide people to select the best way to manage stress. This approach may help health workers from different ethnicities including Maori, Pacific and Pakeha to reduce their stress level while providing care to patients. People, who are dealing with stress may obtain advocacy and necessary information about this condition from the Mental Health Foundation and Health Navigator. As mentioned by Choudhury (2019), these approaches may help healthcare workers to identify primary signs of stress and the appropriate procedure to reduce its level.        

Government Initiatives to Address Obesity and Stress

Social stress and obesity reduces productivity of a person by reducing both physical and mental ability of a person. Health workers face different stress factors like poor work life balance; inter employee conflicts, complicated cases that deteriorate their quality of diet. Hence, obesity of these employees in healthcare setting increases that influence absenteeism. One More explanation can be given regarding the relationship between obesity and absenteeism. Overweight or obese people are considered negatively by the society. This is because there is a negative association between society and obesity (Jackson & Frame, 2018). Less social support and bullying from colleagues, impact on mental condition of obese employees and creates stress. This influence in the absenteeism and they need proper counseling to revive from the situation.

Moreover, in another study done by Ticharwa, Cope & Murray (2019), it was found that obese individuals are more prone to sickness and natural immunity gets decreased. Hence, for these employees in a healthcare setting, length of sick leave gets increased. In addition, it is mentioned that obese person gets injured and remain absent as compared to non-obese persons. Moreover, they are disabled to perform many activities that are necessary to conduct many operational processes. Thus, absence of these obese employees and disability impacts on the operational processes by causing delay and increasing operational costs. On the other hand, Fitzgerald et al. (2016) stated that work pressure in a healthcare setting like long working hours, use of inexpensive technologies and taking fast food increases stress levels and obesity. Thus, the productivity of workers gets decreased and absenteeism increases. Hence, it can be stated that workplace culture plays an essential role as improper culture increases stress levels and obesity, which impacts on absenteeism. Thus, different programs like providing healthcare benefits to workers and motivating them to lead a healthy life can be effective to reduce absenteeism. However, these programs need to be done by maintaining ethical norms. This Is because workers from different communities like maori and pakeha has different beliefs regarding life style, which needs to be preserved.

Rate of satisfaction is inversely proportional to absenteeism and stress. In an organization, a good environment for work and support from management increases satisfaction rate of employees in a healthcare setting. This, in turn, helps to reduce stress levels among employees (Theodore, McLean & TeMorenga, 2015). On the other hand, low level of support from managers and ineffective communication decreases job satisfaction level of healthcare workers. This, in turn, creates stress and anxiety among workers. Hence, absenteeism and turnover of employees increases. In addition, Rosnah et al. (2017), contradicted that lack of proper leadership among healthcare workers also increases stress level, which is directly proportional to absenteeism in a healthcare setting. Hence, it is essential to improve organizational culture that is suitable all cultures and favors diversity. Different religious and cultural beliefs of maori and pakeha communities must be maintained while restructuring organizational culture.

Interrelationship of Obesity and Stress

Firstly, healthcare employees need to develop strategies to avoid stress and obesity. They may take help from the government initiatives and other authorities to ensure mental and physical wellbeing. As mentioned by Koski & Naukkarinen (2017), healthy eating and regular exercise are two processes to maintain body weight. Healthcare professionals need to communicate with experts for understanding about healthy diet and principles of doing exercises. On the other hand, healthcare organizations need to encourage their employees to avoid obesity. They can advise workers to check their body weights regularly to avoid the issues related to obesity.

On the other hand, healthcare organizations need to ensure healthy working hours to help employees to maintain balance between their personal and professional life. Harb et al. (2017) have mentioned that this approach may help to reduce stress levels in healthcare workers. Workshops can be arranged to educate health workers about effective processes of managing stress. It must be ensured that they are getting sufficient wage and safe working environment. Cooperative coworkers and supportive leaders in healthcare organizations may help to get rid of workplace stress. Jackson & Frame (2018) have mentioned that avoiding obesity may help health workers to reduce the risks of diseases. It can help them to ensure physical as well as mental wellbeing. Sharing the cause of stress is another approach that can be considered by health workers to deal with their stress. Being stress free can help them to concentrate on works.

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