Oakland, CA – The CDC’s introduction of an “Obesity Cost Calculator” on their LEAN Works! Website will undoubtedly increase workplace discrimination against employees of size and especially harm people of color due to differences in weight distribution and genetic predispositions to body size. NAAFA, a civil rights organization working to improve the lives of people of size, urges the CDC to remove this tool, based on a flawed formula, from their website and instead encourage employers to promote wellness programs based on Health at Every Size principles.
NAAFA believes that good nutrition and enjoyable physical activity is good for every body regardless of the size of that body and that the weight or BMI of an individual is not an indicator of one’s health.
Employers collecting private data from employees to estimate the cost of said employee simply encourages that employer to “cut costs” by eliminating certain employees and refusing to hire new employees who may appear to have similar physical characteristics. This practice encourages discrimination against minority employees in particular who have a prevalence toward higher weight and larger body sizes.
Recent studies indicate that people of higher weights are just as heart healthy on average as people in the “so called ideal weight range”. Studies from the CDC itself indicate that people in the “overweight”
There is no scientific data to support the CDC claim that those who are larger use more healthcare services and it’s impossible for the Obesity Cost Calculator to be accurate. Use of such a tool does a disservice to the business community by spreading misinformation, reinforcing prejudicial stereotypes and promoting further discrimination against an already marginalized group of people.
