Obesity in Britain – millions don’t know they’re overweight


Friday 25th September, 2009

Three in four people in Britain are obese but unaware they have a weight problem, according to new research.

The poll carried out by YouGov and Slimming World discovered that those people classed as obese see it as ‘the norm’.

Results from the survey found that just seven per cent of people thought their weight problem is significant enough to be classified as ‘obese’ even though 27 per cent fell into the category.

The rapid rise in obesity is leading to ten million people unaware their health is at risk with half of those people believing they eat a healthy diet.

The head of nutrition at Slimming World, Dr Jacquie Lavin said: ‘People in the UK are getting heavier and that is likely to be having an effect on their perceptions of what qualifies as obese.

‘For years experts have agreed that losing just ten per cent body weight can lead to significant improvements in health – but if people don’t even realise they have a serious weight problem it can be difficult to address.

‘While the general rise in obesity is causing people to underestimate the severity of their own weight problem, it’s clear that many people do want to slim down and more than half of respondents say they would consider at least one weight loss option.’

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