Obesity not an issue for job-seekers, say charities

Charities in Greater Manchester where a trial will test the effect of weight loss jabs on employment have said obesity is "not a common problem" for those seeking a job.

The five-year clinical trial will see thousands of patients given the drug tirzepatide to measure its health effects, alongside other metrics like changes in job status and sick days.

Adam Green, chief executive of unemployment charity Yes Manchester, said obesity was low on the list of reasons why some people were struggling to get a job.

A spokesman for Health Innovation Manchester, which is running the study for US Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, said: "This is not about getting unemployed people back to work".

However, there was a "clear link" between conditions like obesity that cause people to be too ill to work or stay in a job and a fall in overall productivity, he added.

A study commissioned by the trial's backers estimated obesity cost Greater Manchester £3.21bn in 2023, in the cost of care provided by the NHS, social services, and family support.

But £1.7bn of the estimated sum was attributed to sick-days and "economic inactivity", with NHS data showing about 600,00 people in the region live with obesity.

Health Innovation Manchester is a body made up of academics, clinicians and corporate staff that reports to NHS Greater Manchester's Integrated Care Board to encourage innovation in the region and improve public health.

About 3,000 people across Greater Manchester are set to be involved in the study, but the exact details of how it will be run have yet to be revealed.

It is primary aim is to analyse how tirzepatide, sold by Eli Lilly under the brand name Mounjaro, reduces obesity and other health-related illnesses in the "real world".

Researchers will also monitor how it effects a patients job prospects.

The announcement of the trial came after Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the drugs could be given to help people get back into work.

But front line charities in Greater Manchester said they receive few cases of people living with obesity struggling to get and hold down a job.

Jennifer-Anne Smith, chief executive officer of Salford charity Loaves and Fishes, said fewer than 500 of their 6,000 users struggled with the condition.

She said the main obstacles for those out of work was a "tick-box" model at the job centre which meant those with specific needs could not get support.

"To be honest it’s not something that presents as a barrier to employment, unlike mental health, digital exclusion, living in poverty or insecure housing", Mr Green said.

"We support residents with multiple-barriers, when they tell us what’s standing in their way it’s those issues" and not obesity, he said.

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