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Experts Available To Discuss Study That Claims Workplace Environment Contributes to Obesity

Posted on: Thursday, 4 August 2005, 15:01 CDT

TOPIC: Australian researchers at Queensland University conducted a study and found sedentary office work may be a contributing factor to obesity, according to an article by HealthDay News. The study, which appeared in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, consisted of 1,600 male and female full-time employees. The study found 25 percent of the office workers were sedentary for more than six hours per day. Researchers stated that sitting for long periods of time may increase the risk of obesity by 68 percent. The researchers also recommended employers promote physical activity in the workplace to prevent a loss of productivity as a result of diseases associated with obesity.

EXPERTS: ExpertSource can offer several highly qualified experts to comment on this story:

George Carpenter, CEO of WorkWell Systems, can share his insight regarding management issues related to health and productivity in the workplace. Carpenter spearheads the company's innovative Six Sigma approach to workers compensation, helping its clients to focus on the work quality issues that produce a measurable ROI and gain a competitive edge. With over 20 years in the workplace health industry, Carpenter taps into his wealth of experience to drive growth of the company's global network of health professionals and researchers to provide employers with an integrated approach to pre-work physical screening, workers' comp program management and return-to-work plans. Prior to joining WorkWell, Carpenter served as the Chairman and CEO of CORE, Inc. CORE pioneered the application of healthcare management tools to workforce analytics, establishing a record for clinical software innovation and talent development that, in the words of one analyst, "created an industry." In 1998, he was named as a finalist in the national Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year competition for taking the company from start-up to a market leader in healthcare management services. Carpenter previously served in various executive roles at Baxter Healthcare including Vice President of Operations, and at Inland Steel. Carpenter holds an MBA in Finance from the University of Chicago and a BA with distinction in International Policy & Law from Dartmouth College. Carpenter is an experienced leader, working with top industry associations, and is a frequent speaker and published author. Carpenter is an often-quoted industry spokesperson who has been featured in media including CNN, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times as well as trade press such as Occupational Health & Safety.

Dr. John Duncan is presently founder and chief executive officer of ViaScan of Las Colinas, which is one of the nation's leading cardiac imaging centers. Dr. Duncan is knowledgeable on aspects of preventive cardiology such as electron beam tomography, physical activity and clinical research along with the St Francis Heart Study. Dr. Duncan also holds an appointment as professor of clinical research at Texas Woman's University located in Denton, TX. Formerly, Dr. Duncan was chief of clinical applications at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas, TX for over 15 years. Dr. Duncan's research has focused on the public health implications of exercise, with special emphasis on the role of exercise, diet, lifestyle, and supplements in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, particularly coronary disease. Dr. Duncan has been involved with fitness evaluations of professional basketball (Dallas Mavericks), football (Dallas Cowboys), and baseball (Texas Rangers) players, and individual professional or elite athletes.

Dr. Gordon Kaplan holds a doctorate in psychology from Vanderbilt University and has worked in the field of behavioral medicine for over 25 years. He has experience in private industry as the Research Director for Health Management Resources, Boston, MA, and as Chief Science Officer for the McLaughlin Young Groups Institute for Corporate Health. He has also worked in managed care as Manager of Clinical Preventive Services in the Wellness & Prevention department for the Harris Methodist Health System. Throughout his career, Dr Kaplan has designed and implemented innovative approaches for weight management, smoking cessation and risk factor assessment and health risk factor reduction. Dr. Kaplan is well known and respected in the academic behavioral medicine arena. His research on obesity, smoking cessation and other behavioral medicine can be found in publications such as Journal of the American Medical Association, Annals of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Health Promotion in the Workplace, SPM Handbook of Health Risk Appraisals, and many more.

ExpertSource cannot guarantee the immediate availability of these experts or their familiarity with this specific issue.

Journalists seeking to interview any of these experts can obtain contact information by visiting http://www.businesswire.com/.

ExpertSource provides academic and industry experts to the media at no charge. Journalists are encouraged to submit queries to ExpertSource when seeking experts on specific subjects. An online registration form is available at the above web address.

Source: Business Wire

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