Promoting Health and Well-Being: Employer Strategies for Encouraging Healthy Weight and Metabolic Wellness

The report argues that employers are critical catalysts in a whole-of-society approach to combat the global obesity epidemic, which affects over 1 billion people. It outlines the business and societal benefits of investing in employee metabolic wellness, identifies systemic barriers to implementation, and proposes a five-step approach for organizations to integrate health into their core business strategy.

• Obesity and cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) represent a massive global health burden, with over 1 billion people living with obesity and 3 billion living with overweight. Projections suggest obesity rates could nearly double to 1.9 billion people by 2035.
• The economic impact of obesity is severe, with global costs predicted to rise from approximately $2 trillion in 2020 to over $3 trillion by 2030, and potentially exceeding $18 trillion by 2060, representing more than 3% of world GDP.
• Workplace environments significantly influence metabolic health; sedentary behavior and long working hours are linked to higher obesity and stroke risks. In the US, obesity-related absenteeism cost employers $82.3 billion and presenteeism $113.8 billion in 2023.
• Employers can derive multiple benefits from health investments, including reduced indirect costs (absenteeism and presenteeism), improved talent attraction for Millennials and Gen Z, and reduced direct medical spend in employer-insured systems.
• The report categorizes workplace health strategies into four levels: mandatory Occupational health and safety, established General well-being, emerging Physical health and outcomes, and niche Weight and metabolic health interventions.
• Systemic drivers influence the ability of employers to promote healthy weight, including healthcare financing models (e.g., US and South Africa), mandatory legal requirements (e.g., Japan's Metabo Law), and cultural sensitivities (e.g., privacy concerns in Europe).
• Innovative models for managing metabolic health include the use of predictive analytics for personalized care, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) via telehealth, gamification with social rewards, and hybrid care delivery combining on-site and virtual services.
• A 'whole-of-society' approach is necessary, where employers collaborate with governments, academia, and the food industry to create environments where healthy choices are the default.

APA

World Economic Forum (2024). Promoting Health and Well-Being: Employer Strategies for Encouraging Healthy Weight and Metabolic Wellness. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Promoting_Health_and_Well_Being_2024.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Promoting Health and Well-Being: Employer Strategies for Encouraging Healthy Weight and Metabolic Wellness. 2024. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Promoting_Health_and_Well_Being_2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Promoting Health and Well-Being: Employer Strategies for Encouraging Healthy Weight and Metabolic Wellness |date=September 2024 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Promoting_Health_and_Well_Being_2024.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2024promoting, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Promoting Health and Well-Being: Employer Strategies for Encouraging Healthy Weight and Metabolic Wellness}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2024}, month = sep, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Promoting_Health_and_Well_Being_2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }