Obesity and sickness absence : differentials by age, ethnicity and occupation groups and influence on career progression

Objectives: The primary aim of the study was to explore the effect of obesity on sickness absence in the Royal Mail. The detail objectives of the research were: (a) to explore the extent of sickness absence associated with obesity and other ill-health conditions among postal employees; (b) to identify variations in sickness absence by age, gender, ethnicity, occupational grade and geographical location; (c) to analyse variation in routinely recorded work days lost in employers' registers across ethnic and occupation groups, and (d) to record the influence of sickness and obesity on future career progression and sickness absence. Data: The study was based on a detail analysis of two data sets – a health and well being survey undertaken during 1995-98, and employer recorded routine sickness and absenteeism records for the period 1995-96 to 2006-07 for those employees who had participated in the survey. The health and well being survey covered 58,697 employees (73.3 per cent males and 26.7 per cent females) with a response rate of 29 per cent. The employer recorded routine sickness data (in terms of episodes and number of work days lost) was matched for 37,138 of these employees.