The UK P&I Club comments on the fact many crewmembers fail pre-sea medical examinations, due to a combination of serious illnesses linked to obesity, informing that a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or above can signify a serious weight problem. Being overweight may interfere with the seafarer’s role and performance on-board.
Specifically, Sophia Bullard, Crew Health Programme Director at UK P&I Club, informs that an accurate clinical assessment is always required for crew members with raised BMI. She explains:
“If being overweight interferes with the person’s role on-board or they are unable to perform part of their job (including safety responsibilities), they may be found temporarily unfit, which means they are unable to go to sea. At the time of a temporary unfit decision based on BMI or obesity, the medical examiner will usually provide advice on weight reduction and weight loss targets can be set to encourage improvement and reduction of BMI.
Moreover, she notes that carrying excess weight can also lead to other serious illness, e.g. hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and even some musculoskeletal conditions. It is within these illness groups that the Club has seen the largest growth in crew medical failures.
“Shipowners, and employers themselves, can also assist the crew to prevent obesity on-board by ensuring seafarers are provided with a healthy diet such as that recommended by the World Health organisation.”
The diet recommended by WHO is the following:
- Fruit – Eating a recommended 5-10 portions of fruit and vegetables per day.
- Fat – A reduction in fat intake is encouraged. This can be achieved by changing cooking methods, i.e. swap frying for baking or steaming.
- Salt – A lowering of salt levels can be achieved by not adding salt during food preparation, limiting the amount of salty, savoury snacks and not putting salt on the table at mealtimes.
- Sugar – Sugar intake can be reduced by 10% by avoiding sugar sweetened drinks, snacks and sweets. Swap processed sugar for natural fruit sugars by eating fruit and raw vegetables.
“Exercise plays an important part in achieving and maintaining fitness. Even a small amount of physical activity such as 30 minutes per day on an exercise bike can have positive results. Crew members, given time, free space, and encouragement to exercise, will see the benefit of weight loss, but also a reduction in stress levels, improved sleep and a boost to their self-esteem.”
