Body mass index and health among the working population: Epidemiologic data from Belgium

Background: The objective of the study was to investigate the distribution of body mass index (BMI; kg/m2) among the working population in Flanders and the Brussels region of Belgium and the association of BMI with gender, age, occupation, smoking, blood pressure and, more specifically, with sick leave. Methods: Routine data on body height and weight were registered in 1994 in a cross-sectional way at periodical medical examination of employees in various industrial sectors. Results for 59,081 male and 47,414 female workers, aged 18–64 years, were registered on an optical form and stored into... Mehr ...