Degree of disability among female healthcare workers who are overweight or obese

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of overweight and obesity is increasing worldwide. Research has clarified that being overweight or obese can lead to disability in everyday life. Aim: The present study explores the association between the degrees of experienced disability in Danish female healthcare workers with a Body Mass Index (BMI) classified as being overweight or obese, compared to female healthcare workers classified as being normal weight. Material and methods: 67 females with a mean age of 49.5 years and a mean BMI of 27.5 kg/m² completed a questionnaire exploring the degree of experienced disability in their everyday lives. Results: The degree of disability in the following activities were significantly higher among females who were obese compared to females who were normal weight; Walking up/down two or more staircases, Pedicure, Dressing the lower body and Exercising outside the home. No statistical differences were found between the females that were overweight and the females that were normal weight. Conclusion: Female healthcare workers who are obese experience a higher degree of disability, than females with a normal weight. Offering an occupational therapy intervention to reduce disability and facilitate participation in everyday life could be relevant.

Keywords:

• BMI
• everyday life
• international classification of functioning, disability, and health
• occupational therapy

Public Interest Statement

Overweight and obesity continues to increase worldwide. It has been argued that obesity can lead to disability and reduced quality of life. Healthcare workers are one of many job groups with high physical work demands involving manual work tasks. Like other job groups, characterized by having manual work, healthcare workers suffer from musculoskeletal symptoms, poor work ability and sickness. As education correlates with lifestyle-related issues such as overweight and obesity, some studies show that up to 95% of healthcare workers either suffer from overweight or obesity. Due to a large body frame, an optimal ergonomic work posture during activities may be challenged and disabilities can be experienced. We conducted a study to asses healthcare workers experienced disabilities. We observed that obesity lead to more disabilities when compared to normal weight healthcare workers. We hope our findings will provide indication of the relevance of offering interventions to reduce disability experienced by obese workers with manual tasks.

Competing Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to gratefully thank the managers from Syddjurs municipality and their employees, without whom this study would not have been possible. Furthermore, we would like to thank those involved in the FRIDOM project for allowing us the opportunity to use their data in our study.

Additional information

Funding

Funding. The authors received no direct funding for this research.

Notes on contributors

Pia Maria Ilvig

The authors, Pia Maria Ilvig, OT, MScH and Jeanette Reffstrup Christensen, OT, MScH, PhD both work for the Research Initiative for Activity Studies and Occupational Therapy, under The Research Unit of General Practice, Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark. Pia Ilvig as a research assistant and Jeanette Reffstrup Christensen as Head of Studies for Master of Science in Occupational Therapy. Dr Christensen has published several articles concerning disabilities, musclescletal pain and overweight and obesity issues. Job groups have, among others been healthcare workers, as they represent a high-risk population with high physical work demands. Healthcare work is mostly performed by females with high prevalence of overweight and obesity, musculoskeletal pain, and low physical capacities. Dr Christensens research suggests, that it may be this combination that causes the high frequency of sickness absence and early retirement. Research which underpins the correlation with overweight and obesity is therefore needed, in order to make the right recommendations regarding health promotion within this group.