Quarter of Britons are 'in denial' over piling on pounds

Published on Friday 11 July 2008 22:08

ONE in four overweight Britons is "in denial" about their bulging waistline, a study revealed yesterday.

It found 53 per cent of the population are overweight or obese, but only 75 per cent of these people believe they are in these groups, putting them at increased risk of heart disease and cancer.

Ignorance about the issue is growing as more people pile on the pounds, according to the study published by the British Medical Journal .

In 1999, 43 per cent of the population had a body mass index above the threshold, of whom 81 per cent correctly identified themselves as overweight.

Researchers believe the growing division between actual and perceived weight may be caused by the rising number of overweight people, which leads to the problem being seen as normal.

The researchers, from the Health Behaviour Research Centre at University College London, warned that despite media and health campaigns to raise awareness of healthy weight, increasing numbers of overweight people fail to recognise that messages about healthy eating and exercise are aimed at them.

It is well known women often view themselves as "too fat", while men typically underestimate their weight.

Professor Jane Wardle

said: "Increased attention to the health risks of excess weight might have left individuals more reluctant to identify themselves with labels such as 'overweight' or 'obese'.

"Certainly, there is evidence that some overweight individuals resist identifying with terminology that they perceive as stigmatising, preferring to adopt euphemistic identifiers such as 'chubby' or 'big-boned'."