Teachers, Nurse Practitioners Report Job-Related Weight Gain
Of those who say they have gained weight, 59% gained more than 10 pounds, and 30% gained more than 20 pounds. Conversely, 16% of all workers say they have lost weight while at their current job.
Professions that often involve high stress levels or long hours behind a desk had a higher percentage of workers putting on extra pounds. Among those most likely to report weight gain:
- Administrative Assistant (69%);
- Engineer (56%);
- Teacher/Instructor K-12 (51%);
- Nurse Practitioner or Physician’s Assistant (51%);
- IT Manager/Network Administrator (51%);
- Attorney/Judge/ Legal Professional (48%);
- Machine Operator/Assembly/Production Worker (45%);and
- Scientist, Biological/Physical/Social (39%).
Sedentary roles, readily-available junk food and time constraints that lead to unhealthy eating habits can make it tough to stay fit. Workers cited the following causes for expanding waistlines:
- Sitting at my desk most of the day – 56%;
- Eating because of stress – 35%;
- Eating out regularly – 26%;
- The temptation of the office candy jar – 17%;
- Having to skip meals because of time constraints – 17%;
- Workplace celebrations (potlucks, birthdays) – 17%;
- Pressure to eat food co-workers bring in – 9%; and
- Happy hours – 4%.
Controlling portions and calorie counts can be a challenge if most of your food intake during the workday is from takeout. More than half (54%) of workers go out to eat instead of packing a lunch at least once a week, and one-quarter (24%) eat out three or more times a week. Eight percent say they eat lunch out of the vending machine at least once a week, while 70% of workers snack during the day.
While more than half of workers feel they are overweight, three in five (59%) say they work out on a regular basis, with 45% hitting the gym at least three times a week. Forty-two percent of workers get their workout in after clocking out for the day, compared to 16% working out before going to the office and 8% exercising during lunch. Thirty percent say they exercise, but not regularly, and 11% do not exercise at all.
Three in ten workers said their companies provide wellness benefits such as workout facilities or gym passes. Of these workers, 36% take advantage of them.
The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder among 3,690 workers (employed full-time, not self-employed, non-government) between February 11 and March 6, 2013.