An Ottawa healthtech startup that focuses on combining behavioural and dietetic support is providing new help for employees who struggle with obesity.
According to the World Health Organization, obesity is defined as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health.” WHO data indicate that, from 1990 to 2022, the rate of adult obesity more than doubled from seven per cent to 16 per cent.
That trend can have an effect in the workplace.
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Ottawa startup Constant Health, which last year won a Bootstrap Award, says that obesity and obesity-related issues result in more than 130,000 adults being unable to work, costing Canadian businesses about $8.2 billion due to increased health-care costs, absenteeism and lost productivity.
In response, Constant Health has developed a weight management program that pairs behavioral science with technology and obesity medications. Its approach recently led to a partnership with Desjardins Insurance that will enable workplaces across Canada to access programs designed to address obesity.
“With 30 per cent of those taking (obesity medications) stopping within one month and 58 per cent stopping within three months, it’s apparent that effective, long-term weight management requires healthy behaviours and expert dietician guidance to yield sustainable results,” said Alexandra Segal, director of clinical product and behaviour science at Constant Health, in a news release.
The 15-week program includes more than five hours of personalized coaching with registered dietitians trained in behavioural science and cognitive behaviour therapy. Participants using obesity medications receive additional support aimed at reducing side effects and maximizing benefits. They stay connected via Constant Health’s app, which also provides dietitians with data points to enhance the personalization of care.
As a result of the partnership with Desjardins, employees may already have some or all of the program costs covered through their group coverage.
Lorne Segal, CEO of Constant Health, said that to “maximize the benefits of the medication, they need to pair (it) with the behavioural weight management program as well.”
Through the partnership with Desjardins, Segal said he and his team hope to “influence how companies perceive obesity,” and reduce the rate of absenteeism in the workplace.
Lydia Di Francesco is CEO of Ottawa-based Fit + Healthy 365. She says that, for many people who are obese, there are often other issues at play.
“A lot of times there’s mental health challenges or depression or other types of things that are going on that are interrelated with obesity, and so having that therapy is definitely beneficial.”
She also argues that being obese can lead employees to take more sick days, either directly or indirectly related to obesity, and can lead to reduced efficiency at work.
“A lot of times, people who are obese might not be eating enough because they might think that that’s the way to lose weight, and so then they’re actually not fuelling their body, which means they’re not getting enough energy to have those cognitive abilities be at 100 per cent,” she said in an interview with OBJ.
“Depending on the type of workplace they have, they might be susceptible to getting more injuries, if it’s a more physically demanding type of job, or they might not be able to do their job as well.”
She said the key to any sort of benefit plan is to increase the likelihood of employees taking advantage of it.
“Anything an organization can do to support the well-being of their employees in a real, tangible way is going to make a difference. The key piece of it working is making it easily accessible. The more open and flexible an organization can be in terms of how they’re providing those benefits, the better,” she said.