More than 600,000 people in the UK are not working due to problems related to obesity. Researchers at the University of York came to this conclusion after analyzing data from over 284,000 participants in the UK Biobank, the largest British biomedical database. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
According to the publication, about 15 million people in the country are overweight. Approximately 4% of them are unable to work precisely because of the consequences of obesity. The researchers also note that men are more likely to leave the labor market prematurely for this reason than women.
The authors of the study warn that the prevalence of obesity creates an additional burden on the UK economy. People with this diagnosis typically go on sick leave about twice as often as employees with normal weight. These findings are consistent with estimates by the British government, which link obesity to more frequent sick leave and annual multibillion-pound losses in labor productivity.
Against this background, the country's authorities are expanding measures to combat obesity. In June, the UK government announced the launch of 12 pilot projects to improve care for people with obesity. They provide easier access to modern weight-loss drugs, digital services, AI tools, and remote patient support. The total funding for the program will be £85 million (about 54 billion tenge) jointly with the state and pharmaceutical company Lilly.
Earlier, British authorities had already stepped up the fight against obesity. The country restricted advertising of products high in sugar and fat during daytime, discussed changes to school meals, and continues to expand access to modern weight-loss drugs through the National Health Service (NHS).