A Statistics Canada report says, shift work, long hours and blue-collar jobs are all associated with higher levels of obesity than regular hours, shorter hours and white-collar jobs. More men and women who worked shifts were more obese than regularly scheduled workers. The percentage of obese workers were aged 18-64; by job type.

In 2005, 2.3 million people, or about 16% of employed Canadians aged 18 to 64 were obese -- 1,423,000 men and 918,000 women, according to Statistics Canada.

Lead author Dr. Jungwee Park said that Employers might want to make work place plans, to prevent obesity and sponsor health initiatives for weight maintenance programs, to benefit the individual workers and the Canadian economy in general.

Night work and shift work brought changes in the levels of stress hormones causing high stress levels. The stress caused by long and irregular hours may be the root of the higher obesity levels and even diabetes. Cardio vascular diseases and sleeping during daytime affect the natural rhythms of the body and body temperature. All these pointed to one fact; slowing down metabolism can make a person gain weight rapidly. With a sensible diet it's possible to reduce the effects of stress, avoid some common problems and protect your health. For most of us, stress and food go hand-in-hand. Food can give us the feelings of power, control and satisfaction that we need in stressful situations; giving your body the nutrition it needs is a positive step you can take every day toward combating stress. With the correct nutrition, you are better prepared to face the challenges of the work place.

Companies may want to provide free nutritional work shops or seminars to their workforce in order to better educate and become more knowledgeable as to what to eat during stressful work time, since our food choices directly affect our energy levels.  Also, if providing food in the work place, put healthy food choices on their menus to prevent obesity and support workers' physical, mental and emotional health. 

For info on CBC News: Shift and blue-collar workers more likely to be obese: Stats Can go to: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2009/02/20/obesity-statistics.html