Answer: Obese
Clues: “Heavy” and “Weight”
Campaigners for a four-day week said the findings exposed the perils of modern lifestyles, with stress, takeaway culture and long days at office desks all blamed for bulging waistlines.
But critics said such conclusions were “dubious”, questioning whether overweight Britons could really blame their eating habits on the demands of their job.
The international study, which included the UK, found countries where employees work longer hours tend to have higher obesity rates.
Researchers analysed data from 33 OECD countries, including Britain, between 1990 and 2022. They found that a 1 per cent reduction in annual working hours was associated with a 0.16 per cent fall in obesity rates.
Around two in three British adults are overweight or obese.
The findings suggest that a four-day week – amounting to roughly a 20 per cent reduction in working hours – could mean around half a million fewer obese people in Britain.
In recent years, use of food delivery apps such as Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat has surged, fuelling a culture of late-night takeaways arriving at office desks and front doors within minutes.
Health chiefs say the trend is fueling obesity, with a takeaway typically containing twice as many calories as supermarket equivalents.
However, the researchers cautioned that the new study does not prove long hours directly cause obesity, and said income levels and broader lifestyle differences between countries may also play a role.