A person stands on a weighing scale, overlooked by a doctor holding a tablet computer

Scale of the challenge: Obesity and the labour market

Article

Obesity has a well-known and profound impact on people’s health. Yet, less research has looked at the impact of obesity on prosperity.

Our findings suggest a correlation between obesity and economic inactivity, as well as obesity affecting the productivity and wellbeing of people who are in work.

Obesity is not a personal responsibility – it is caused by working conditions, changes in the built environment and our broken food system. Polling for this report shows the public are ahead of politicians: they want government intervention and a break from failed policies focused on individual responsibility.

Drawing from previous IPPR research, our core policy recommendation is based on developing a whole society approach to tackling obesity.

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