title: The epidemiological Boehringer Ingelheim Employee study--part I: impact of overweight and obesity on cardiometabolic risk.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Obesity-dependent diseases cause economic burden to companies. Large-scale data for working populations are lacking. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) Employee cohort and the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and cardiometabolic risk factors and diseases were estimated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Employees (≥38 years, employed in Ingelheim ≥2 years; n = 3151) of BI Pharma GmbH & Co. KG were invited by the medical corporate department to participate in intensive health checkups. Cross-sectional analysis of baseline data collected through 2006-2011 was performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  90% of eligible subjects participated (n = 2849). Prevalences of overweight and obesity were 40% and 18% and significantly higher in men and participants ≥50 years. Cardiometabolic risk factor levels and prevalences of cardiometabolic diseases significantly increased with BMI and were higher in overweight and obese participants. Cut-points for increased risk estimated from ROC curves were ≈ 25 kg/m(2) for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, arteriosclerosis, and hypertriglyceridemia and 26.7-28.0 kg/m(2) for the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, increased intima media thickness, and type 2 diabetes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first large-scale occupational health care cohort from a single company. Cardiometabolic risk factors and diseases accumulate with increasing BMI. Occupational weight reduction programs seem to be reasonable strategies.
authors.affiliation: West-German Centre of Diabetes and Health, Düsseldorf Catholic Hospital Group, 40591 Düsseldorf, Germany. kerstin.kempf@wdgz.de
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kempf
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Döhring
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dugi
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wolfram von Wolmar
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Haastert
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schneider
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019540:Area Under Curve; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012372:ROC Curve; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors