Obesity and Employee wellness

Introduction

Health is a gift. It is a blessing from God. Healthy people live longer; they enjoy their lives as they are physically and mentally fit. Over the years, there has been a rise in health issues all over the world, which have raised great concerns. Due to alarming concerns, institutes and medical bodies are focusing more on spreading awareness regarding the diseases that are becoming common.

Obesity is a major concern in the United States. More than 60% of the American population is obese. There are serious health issues related with obesity, (Strum, 2007). It is a well known fact that obesity leads to serious health issues, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, which makes life miserable. Obesity results because of the unhealthy life styles of people. According to a recent survey, about two-thirds of American adults are overweight, and one third is obese, (Flegal et.al, 2002).

According to the world health organization (WHO), obesity is the accumulation of body fat to extent that it affects an individual's health. Obesity makes it difficult for people to carry on with their daily life routines; it is true for those who are extremely obese. Obesity is a public health issue at a global level. It has effects every region of the world, except for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Obesity at work place is an important reason for rising costs. Highly or moderately obese employees are less productive than those who are mildly obese, (Gates eta l, 2008). Employees that work for hours and hours, and get no exercise are more likely to develop obesity over the years if they continue with this life style. In our paper, we will be discussing whether participation in employee wellness programs be made mandatory for employees or not.

Discussion

There is a rising trend in preventing diseases ...