The foreign enterprises service branch of China International Intellectech Corp, a human resource service and outsourcing agency, recently released the results of a health survey it conducted of white-collar workers. More than 60 percent of the thousands of respondents said they are obese due to overwork.

The respondents also said obesity is a "common disease" among white-collar workers. And more than 65 percent of respondents, along with over 52 percent of human resources staff members, said obesity should be listed as "occupational injury".

Impaired health is a common complaint of white-collar workers, who usually work in offices and don't get enough physical exercise.

Health experts say that in some cases overwork can lead to obesity, especially when individuals don't get enough sleep and exercise, have irregular eating habits and are almost always under pressure.

In developed countries such as the United States and Japan, many who regard "obesity due to overwork" as an occupational disease believe steps should be taken in advance to prevent it. In Japan, there are specific waistline standards for male and female employees. Once an employee exceeds the waistline standard, he or she will be urged to lose weight. And if an employee fails to do so, the enterprise may be fined.

Many people say enterprises should provide health management services to prevent obesity due to overwork, including providing gyms and health consultations in the office.