New study suggests strong link between working from home and increased risk of obesity
A new study has reinforced a major health worry when it comes to working from home
Kate FowlerDigital Reporter
A new study has suggested a strong link between working from home and obesity levels
The study, published in June by the Economic Society of Australia, found just a one-hour increase of working from home equated to a rise in both BMI and likelihood of obesity
The report, which used two different research models, found one extra hour of working from home per week equated to a 0.064 kg/m2 increase in BMI and a 7.5 percentage-point rise in likelihood of being obese
The other model found a similar result, suggesting an extra hour of working from home equalled a 0.081 kg/m2 increase in BMI and a 9.1 percentage-point jump in the likelihood of being obese
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology academic Opoku Adabor, who conducted the study, concluded two main reasons for the link.
One, was the absence of commuting to an office using public transport, and the other was a lack of structured food consumption while working at home
“However, working from home can eliminate the physical activities associated with travelling to work in Australia, especially when using public transport and other active forms of transport, such as cycling, contributing to obesity over time,” the study said.
“People who often work from home develop poor eating habits, impacting obesity over time
“Working from home does not follow strict office rules like lunch breaks and no smoking
“This means that employees working from home exercise absolute control over their eating habits, allowing them to eat whatever they prefer at any time, compared to their counterparts working in the office.”
The study used data from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey from the period of 2006 – 2021
The survey collects data from respondents on health, work, transport and gambling among other categories, including BMI and how often they work from home
However, the recent study did reason that the link is not a guarantee, and that working from home does not always lead to weight gain in every instance
In some cases in fact, it can do the opposite
“Working from home provides more flexibility to incorporate physical activity into your day,” the study said
“Employees working from home might find it easier to schedule regular workouts or take breaks for physical activity.”
The study argued that working from home, for some people, can free up time for activities like meal planning and rigorous exercise
“When working from home, employees can prepare and eat healthier, fresh home-cooked food to improve health and reduce obesity over time,” the study said.
The findings come at a pivotal time for working from home arguments
Victoria is set to introduce a statutory right for eligible employees to work from home for up to two days a week as of September.
