Obesity
Employee obesity has been in the spotlight since the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decision in FOA, acting on behalf of Karsten Kaltoft v Billund Kommune in late 2014. In the case, the ECJ held that it is possible for obesity to constitute a disability under discrimination laws.
It did not take long for the UK courts and tribunals to apply this ruling. In early 2015, a Northern Ireland tribunal in Bickerstaff v Butcher upheld an individual's complaint of harassment after comments were made at work about his weight.
‘Dangerous complacency’ in support for young workers with long-term health conditions
Young workers with long-term health conditions in the UK are being offered less support than they would receive from healthcare...
Most staff comfortable discussing health concerns at work
Employees are becoming more open to talking about their health at work, research has suggested, with three-quarters of staff happy...
Health bodies join forces to promote healthier ageing
The Centre for Ageing Better and Public Health England have joined forces to work on health interventions that could help...
Thousands of young people have type 2 diabetes
Almost 7,000 people under 25 have type 2 diabetes, with thousands more expected to be diagnosed in the next few...
Sedentary workers who are active outside working hours still at risk
Many employees are wrongly perceiving that having an active lifestyle outside of the workplace negates the ill-effects associated with sedentary...
Toolkit launched to help health professionals promote physical activity
A toolkit that will help health professionals advise patients on how physical activity can help manage their conditions and aid...
Average adult feels breathless after ‘light to moderate’ exercise
The average adult feels breathless six times a week, often as a result of “light to moderate” exercise, a study...
Toolkit encourages employers to promote healthy eating and exercise
Business in the Community and Public Health England have published a toolkit to help employers encourage healthier eating and exercise...
Diabetes diagnoses have doubled in the last 20 years
The number of people diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled in the last 20 years to almost 3.7 million....
Easy access to unhealthy food increasing millennials’ obesity risk
More than seven in 10 ‘millennials’ – people born between the early 1980s and mid 1990s – are expected to...
Hospital bans sugary food and drinks to reduce staff obesity
A hospital in Manchester has banned the sale of sugary food and drinks from its restaurant in a bid to...
Managing obesity in the workplace
Employers dealing with obesity in the workplace have to contend with misunderstanding, stigma, lifestyles outside work and several other issues....
Is national adult physical activity guidance fit for all?
There is much evidence of the health benefits of national adult physical activity guidance, but more research is needed on...
Does workplace health promotion work? A review of the evidence
Questions raised about the quality of studies reporting return on investment from workplace health promotion initiatives make it worth examining...
Occupational health research round-up for August 2017
This month’s look at occupational health research studies includes reports on the rising cost to employers of lifestyle illnesses and...
