Women put weight gain down to work

Published on Wednesday 13 February 2008 21:28

WORKING women blame their jobs for making them fat, research revealed yesterday.

Popular reasons for piling on the pounds have previously included a hectic home life, convenience foods and problems with glands.

But a new survey has found that bulging waistlines may also be fuelled by a growing number of women in the workforce. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that in October to December last year there were 7.8 million women in full-time employment in the UK – up from about 6.6 million a decade ago.

The latest research, which involved 300 female workers, found many modern occupations were blamed for fuelling the UK's obesity epidemic, including desk jobs and shift-work. Some 80 per cent of women who worked shifts said they had put on weight, with unsociable hours meaning meals are often eaten at the wrong times.

An even higher percentage (82 per cent) of women who drive for a living, including cabbies and lorry drivers, said they were too fat. They said being on the road for many hours a day meant they were snacking on fast food and also had less time to exercise.

Almost half of female office staff (46 per cent) also thought they were overweight.

Experts yesterday said an increase in such sedentary jobs was making it harder for women to exercise.

Overall the survey, conducted by the makers of the herbal weight-loss remedy Adios, found that 18 per cent of overweight women blamed their jobs for their weight problems.

Bridget Aisbitt, from the British Nutrition Foundation, said:

"People who are working shifts should try to eat three meals a day, even if they are not at the times you would usually expect to eat."