Affiliations: Department of Rehabilitation Counseling, Anderson
Center Room C024A, Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
Tel.: +1 336 750 2941; Fax: +1 336 750 2914; E-mail: bettersch@wssu.edu
Abstract: Objective: Obesity has become a major public health concern in the
United States, and has ultimately affected occupational health, including
Workers' Compensation. Obesity has been determined to contribute to
work-related injury. This analysis examined weight change post-injury during
the Workers' compensation rehabilitation process, and specifically how it
relates to perceived mental health need, perceived dietary habits, food stamp
usage, and the amount of time since the work injury. Methods: Archival data analysis was conducted examining Workers'
Compensation claimants over a four year period. Participants: Data was collected from 1,864 valid Workers'
Compensation claims and analyzed using descriptive statistics and a backwards
elimination multiple regression analysis to examine predictive relationships
between the variables of interest. Results: Approximately 2/3 of the sample reported weight gain
post-injury, with the additional 1/3 reporting weight loss or no change. Both
perceived benefit from mental health services and perceived healthy dietary
habits were significantly predictive of weight gain. Conclusions: Clinical psychological distress, such as depression and
anxiety, may be contributory factors to weight gain, and poor perceptions in
food quality and caloric estimations may also relate to this problem.
Suggestions for future research, including intervention studies, are also
included.
