ABSTRACT

Overweight and obesity are well documented to be associated with major chronic illnesses, including hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, heart diseases, cancer and all-cause mortality [1-3]. Moreover, excessive body weight has also been shown to increase the risk for musculoskeletal pain [4], sick leave [5] and early retirement from the workforce before they are entitled to state pension [6], causing high socioeconomic costs [7]. Effective inter-

ventions for weight reduction and addressing obesity are therefore a high priority.