CHE Seminar Series: Does Work from Home Contribute to Increased BMI and Obesity?
After the COVID-19 pandemic, work from home (WFH) became a viable and acceptable strategy to engage in the workforce. The reduced commute can provide new opportunities to invest in health. However, the potential impact of WFH on person’s health received little attention in the literature. We use longitudinal data to study the link between WFH and health by considering the person’s BMI and obesity as outcomes. We find that prior to COVID, the intermediate WFH intensity (50 to 70% hours worked at home) among women is associated with about 0.4 higher BMI and 10 percentage points higher probability of obesity as compared to women with zero WFH. After the pandemic, the likelihood of obesity is approximately 6 percentage points higher for women with high WFH arrangements (70% or more hours worked at home). Our exploration of potential mechanisms suggests that physical inactivity, especially if combined with an unhealthy diet, is a likely driver of unhealthy weight gain when WFH. A positive association between WFH and likelihood of obesity after the pandemic is partly due to an increased share of WFH workers in office jobs. Hence, informational interventions highlighting the importance of exercise and healthy foods might be warranted.
Speaker profile
Anastasia Semykina is Professor of Economics, Deputy Dean, Research and Innovation, School of Economics, Finance & Marketing, RMIT University. She received her PhD from Michigan State University in 2006. Before joining RMIT, she was Charles and Joan Haworth Professor of Economics at Florida State University. Her research is a combination of econometrics methods and applied studies. Her theoretical research focuses on linear and nonlinear panel data models with missing data. Several of her papers are published in top econometrics journals – Journal of Econometrics and Journal of Applied Econometrics. She also does applied research on labour economics, economics of education, and health economics.
Weekly seminar series
As part of our Centre's vibrant research culture, we host a weekly seminar series. Visiting and invited researchers present current research relating to the economics of health and wellbeing, and the healthcare sector. Visitors are welcome to join these sessions where discussion and debate is encouraged.
For further information on our seminar series, please contact Trong-Anh.Trinh@monash.edu.
Event Details
- Date:
- 20 August 2025 at 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
- Venue:
- Caulfield campus, Building H, level 2, room H2.24
- Categories:
- CHE Seminar; General
Description
After the COVID-19 pandemic, work from home (WFH) became a viable and acceptable strategy to engage in the workforce. The reduced commute can provide new opportunities to invest in health. However, the potential impact of WFH on person’s health received little attention in the literature. We use longitudinal data to study the link between WFH and health by considering the person’s BMI and obesity as outcomes. We find that prior to COVID, the intermediate WFH intensity (50 to 70% hours worked at home) among women is associated with about 0.4 higher BMI and 10 percentage points higher probability of obesity as compared to women with zero WFH. After the pandemic, the likelihood of obesity is approximately 6 percentage points higher for women with high WFH arrangements (70% or more hours worked at home). Our exploration of potential mechanisms suggests that physical inactivity, especially if combined with an unhealthy diet, is a likely driver of unhealthy weight gain when WFH. A positive association between WFH and likelihood of obesity after the pandemic is partly due to an increased share of WFH workers in office jobs. Hence, informational interventions highlighting the importance of exercise and healthy foods might be warranted.
Speaker profile
Anastasia Semykina is Professor of Economics, Deputy Dean, Research and Innovation, School of Economics, Finance & Marketing, RMIT University. She received her PhD from Michigan State University in 2006. Before joining RMIT, she was Charles and Joan Haworth Professor of Economics at Florida State University. Her research is a combination of econometrics methods and applied studies. Her theoretical research focuses on linear and nonlinear panel data models with missing data. Several of her papers are published in top econometrics journals – Journal of Econometrics and Journal of Applied Econometrics. She also does applied research on labour economics, economics of education, and health economics.
Weekly seminar series
As part of our Centre's vibrant research culture, we host a weekly seminar series. Visiting and invited researchers present current research relating to the economics of health and wellbeing, and the healthcare sector. Visitors are welcome to join these sessions where discussion and debate is encouraged.
For further information on our seminar series, please contact Trong-Anh.Trinh@monash.edu.