A  new study by fitness consulting firm Elite Fitness focusing on the health of the Bahamian workforce purports to show that the corporate culture of many Bahamian organizations – corporate culture supposedly being a major contributor to overall mental, emotional and physical health and wellbeing – does not have a good record. In point of fact, the Elite Fitness study posits that as much as 90 percent of the Bahamian workforce is overweight or obese. In response, the study urges corporate Bahamas to promote and encourage a corporate wellness culture, which would have a positive impact on efficiency while benefitting employees both professionally and in their personal lives.

Ethan Quant, Elite Fitness founder and author of the study, pointed to the truth that Bahamians spend a significant part of their lives in the workplace.

“We hear all too often, ‘I put on about 20 pounds since I started working here last year’. This is pretty much the norm and depending on where you work is often expected similar to the ‘freshman 15’ your first year of college,” he said.

Quant explained how his organization examined the health of the Bahamian workforce in corporate Bahamas. Using the body mass index (BMI) – a measure of body fat based on an individual’s weight in relation to their height – Elite Fitness conducted a research study in which 100 men and women between the ages of 18-60 were randomly selected and had their indices measured.

The findings of the study – which Quant said were not surprising, though “quite disturbing” – revealed that 90 percent of the Bahamian workforce is overweight or obese. Overweight is a distinct term, separate from obese – each is characterized by a range of BMI percentages. The 90 percent identified in the study was split evenly, with 45 percent being overweight, meaning they have a BMI of 25-29.9, and 45 percent being obese, meaning that they have a BMI of 30 or greater.

“The average person in the study had a BMI of 30.79,” Quant said. “This means that the average Bahamian employee suffers from obesity. Cleary what’s going on in corporate Bahamas is reflective of what’s going on in the wider population; The Bahamas is an obese nation.”

The study – conducted in some detail – revealed significant percentages of industries like banking, services (including real estate, restaurants, consultants, beauty and barber) insurance, retail, telecommunications, broadcasting and tourism were overweight. Other industries/sectors represented in the study were the public service, medical, aviation, education, legal and construction.

“Being overweight and obese can have a serious impact on an individual’s health. Carrying extra fat leads to serious health consequences such as cardiovascular disease (mainly heart disease and stroke), Type 2 diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders like osteoarthritis and some cancers (endometrial, breast and colon). These are just some of the issues in a very long list...We know that companies in The Bahamas have a challenge with ever increasing operational costs that are, for the most part, beyond their control,” Quant said. “How do they balance the high cost of healthcare, a prominent expense item for most companies with the wellbeing of management and staff?”

He noted that there are four main ways in which Bahamian companies are impacted by an overweight and obese workforce. Obesity exacts what Quant dubbed “an enormous societal cost” in terms of reduced well-being and an increase in the loss of human lives. Treatment and care for those with obesity related diseases are a “huge” financial burden to companies. Obesity adversely affects workplace costs by decreasing worker productivity and increasing healthcare claims as well as the need for support and disability management, and the corporate culture and direct work environment of an organization may contribute greatly to the weight gain and obesity of management and staff.

“A person’s work life is heavily impacted by their lifestyle; indeed nutrition, fitness level and sleep patterns all contribute to an employee’s productivity level,” Quant said.

“It is therefore important for companies to promote and encourage a proper corporate wellness culture within the organization, thereby positively impacting the efficiency of the company whilst allowing employees to reap the benefits both on a professional level and in their daily lives.”