Live Longer Wales: Is your job making you fat?

A list of the top 10 jobs that contribute to obesity has been compiled by the lead consultant at Wales's only NHS weight management clinic.

The list includes chefs, taxi drivers and office workers, although Prof Nadim Haboubi claims unemployment is more likely to make you fat than any job.

He said more resources were needed to tackle all causes of obesity in Wales.

The Welsh government said it had introduced a number of initiatives to help people make healthier choices.

Prof Haboubi, who runs the clinic in Blaenau Gwent, said he compiled the list based on his clinical experience.

"Where I work in the valleys area, unemployment is a problem and that's where obesity is more prevalent," he said.

"There isn't one cause, it's a combination of a sedentary life and general availability of healthy food.

"If you look into bizarre eating patterns, particularly for those working shifts, their sleep pattern is erratic and their eating pattern becomes unusual. Therefore, the centres in the brain which control metabolism start not to function in an optimal way.

"If you're looking at other occupations such as lorry drivers or office workers, it's very much because people are sedentary.

"Also, a long distance lorry driver will eat whatever there is in a cafe or shop then carry on driving.

"I know from some of my patients that one of the incentives or attractions of a job in takeaway delivery is your food is going to be free, but the type of food provided is not usually low fat."

James Howse, from Aberbargoed, was 29 when he was referred to the clinic, weighing 31 stone.

With a career in the events catering industry, he is used to being surrounded by deep fried food and works unusual and irregular shift patterns.

Mr Howse said he began putting on weight three years ago after a motorbike accident left him in bed for six months, but his job did not help with losing weight.

Constantly on the go all day, he said he would have a big breakfast, then not eat until late at night when the event was over.

That meal would be whatever was left over, but always "something and chips".

"When I realised this was a problem, I started snacking throughout the day on healthy stuff," Mr Howse said.

"I take food with me now, like prepared fruit, which has worked.

"Dr Haboubi was very good at motivating me and made me think. Seeing the psychologist was also a big thing because you've got to get your head right before you do anything.

"I'm eating a lot better and I'm a lot more focused on where I want to be in life."

Dr Haboubi said it was not necessary to change jobs to live a healthier lifestyle.

"None of these is a cause of obesity on its own. None of them are untreatable or uncontrollable," he said.

"You just have to modify your lifestyle towards healthier living and ensure that if you're required to be sitting all the time at work, when you finish you don't continue to sit and rest."

He said: "Some factories and companies that work with computers, they're doing it from a standing position rather than sitting.

"Sometimes healthy food is either not available or it's more costly if it is available. These things need to be subsidised by the employer."

Dr Haboubi stressed it was not a person's work alone that could contribute to weight gain.

Other factors, he said, were the cost of going to a leisure centre, the price of healthier food, poor public transport and the individual's attitude.

Top 10 obesogenic jobs:

Shift workers(especially night shift)

Chefs

Taxi drivers

Long distance lorry drivers

Takeaway delivery personnel

Office workers, such as secretaries and those in IT

Staff working in nursing or care homes

Supermarket employees

Business executives

The unemployed

"It needs to be tackled aggressively by co-ordinating all sectors, health professionals, the media, the supermarket industry, politicians," he said.

"We really need someone to coordinate all these powers and resources.

"We have a fantastic All Wales Obesity Pathway, it's a beautiful flowchart but they produced this fantastic document six years ago and not implemented it or provided any resources for it."

A Welsh government spokesman said: "Health boards are responsible for implementing the All-Wales Obesity Pathway together with local authorities and other partners - we regularly report on progress.

"No one single action alone will address obesity, which is why we have also introduced a number of initiatives to support the public in Wales to make healthier choices.

"These include the Active Travel Act, campaigns and programmes to support healthy diets and promote physical activity and schemes to encourage healthy practices in settings such as schools and workplaces."

Return to the Welsh Weight Clinic will be on BBC One Wales, on 5 October at 22:35 BST, as part of the Live Longer Wales season.