Survey asks: Is your job making you fat?

Chicago — More than half of U.S. workers consider themselves overweight, and many believe their current job has played a role, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of job-search website CareerBuilder.

Among a representative sample of 1,117 full-time workers from multiple industries and different-sized companies, 57 percent reported they are overweight and 45 percent said they gained weight while at their current job. Twenty-six percent said they have gained more than 10 pounds, while 11 percent said they’ve packed on more than 20 pounds.

Among the reasons cited:

• Sitting at a desk most of the day (53 percent).
• Too tired after work to exercise (49 percent).
• Stress eating (41 percent).
• No time to exercise before or after work (34 percent).
• Workplace celebrations (13 percent).
• Skipping meals because of time constraints (12 percent).

The survey also found that 63 percent of workers eat lunch at their workstation, and 72 percent snack on the job.

Of the more than 60 percent of workers who say their employers don’t have a wellness program, 37 percent said they would use such benefits if available.