Obesity by Occupation: Police, Firefighters, Lead the Way

[unokitty]

...businesses are experimenting with new measures to encourage workers to slim down...

As employers become more determined to help their employees lose weight, however, some are drawing scrutiny from regulators concerned that their programs use penalties and rewards so bluntly that participation becomes compulsory. Though other government agencies strongly endorse the use of carrots and sticks, and the Affordable Care Act allowed employers to offer larger incentives, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has brought several lawsuits related to wellness programs and plans to release guidance to employers in February.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of obesity?

What is your opinion?
Organizational incentives to lose weight a good thing?
Or a compromise of a person's rights?
Other comments?

Uno

 

[lozina]

I dont understand some of their groupings... actors, reporters and artists together with athletes?

social workers with clergy?

 

[Carson Dyle]

Police officers, firefighters, security guards...

Security guards? Seriously? You're going to group those GED, military dropout, minimum wage earning losers with the others?

 

[Carson Dyle]

What's a "scientist"? Is this 1950?

 

[Carson Dyle]

Cooks, bartenders and servers is only on the low end because the average age is 24. Any bartender over the age of 35 is an alcoholic. Any server over the age of 30 is either a late college student, a single mother of four, or has an IQ of 80 (and someone with all three of those is fairly common).

 

[MiniDoom]

What's a "scientist"? Is this 1950?

I know a few who work in the aerospace industry. probably not as uncommon as you think.

 

[TreVader]

With the exception of Engineers/Architects, the list pretty much goes from the dumbest group of employees (cops) to the smartest (scientists). Interesting that smarter people are less fat, regardless of the level of activity in their job.

 

[Drako]

With the exception of Engineers/Architects, the list pretty much goes from the dumbest group of employees (cops) to the smartest (scientists). Interesting that smarter people are less fat, regardless of the level of activity in their job.

Let me guess, you're a food service worker.

 

[Gooberlx2]

What? Firefighters are some of the most obese? Cops and security guards sure. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw an obese firefighter...Nurses, OTOH, are thin for a couple years after school. Then the break room snacks catch up to so many of them.

Aha...obesity defined by BMI. There's the problem.

 

[lozina]

What? Firefighters are some of the most obese but nurses aren't?

Cops and security guards sure. I honestly can't remember the last time I saw an obese firefighter...

I can understand it if they included volunteer firefighters...

Which would not exactly make sense since this is implied to be paid professionals but with the logic behind their groupings I wouldn't be surprised if they did

 

[TreVader]

Let me guess, you're a food service worker.

I would be, but I'm too afraid I'll screw up a cops order and get shot.

 

[HTFOff]

BMI is an antiquated and inadequate way of measuring overall health.

 

[Gooberlx2]

I can understand it if they included volunteer firefighters...

Which would not exactly make sense since this is implied to be paid professionals but with the logic behind their groupings I wouldn't be surprised if they did

They must be. After looking up a bunch of articles on the topic...there do seem to be a shockingly large number of fat firefighters. Though some studies have noted that BMI can be a problematic gauge with regards to firefighters...but the averages still tend to be accurate.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Nurses, OTOH, are thin for a couple years after school. Then the break room snacks catch up to so many of them.

Most nurses I know today gets their degree in their late 20s to late 30s. It's become one of those professions that few 18 year-olds want much to do with, and only when someone 25+ reads that there's a nursing shortage do they go back and get a degree. And many people today, by the time they're that age, are obese.