India could incur losses to the tune of $237 billion by 2015 due to a rise in lifestyle diseases like diabetes, stroke and cancer because of unhealthy workplaces, a new WHO report has said.
The economic loss in India, which was USD 8.7 billion in 2005, is projected to rise to USD 54 billion in 2015, according to the report ?Preventing Communicable Diseases in the Workplace through Diet and Physical Activity?.
The projected loss for China — the other fast developing country — is a massive USD 558 billion, while the estimated figure for Russia and the UK is USD 33 billion.
The estimated income loss in Brazil in 2015 would be USD 9.3 billion, while in Pakistan USD 6.7 billion, Nigeria USD 1.5 billion and Canada USD 1.5 billion.
Promoting the concept of a healthy workplace, the report has said targeting physical inactivity and unhealthy dietary habits are effective in improving health-related outcomes such as obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
The report was presented to the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Monday.
This report, the outcome of an event jointly organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Economic Forum, summarises the current evidence available in addressing the different dimensions of the workplace as a key setting for interventions designed to prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) through diet and physical activity.