	home

	products & services

	health information

	facilities finder

	about Bupa

	jobs at Bupa

	contact Bupa

Products and services

	Health insurance
	Financial protection
	Care homes
	Health assessments
	Childcare
	Travel insurance
	International cover
	Health cash plans
	Shop

Visitor interest areas

	Individuals
	Business
	Intermediaries
	Health professionals
	Bupa members

Facilities finder

Find local health and fitness facilities

World of Bupa

Bupa services around the world at bupa.com

| health information | health news

Obesity increases but fewer people think they are overweight

18 July 2008

There is a wide presumption that the average weight of people around you is normal, but this isn't true. The majority of the population is overweight.

Professor Jane Wardle, Director of Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre

Key facts

Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of healthy weight for adults based on your height and weight. It's also used as an indicator of your total amount of body fat.
To work out your BMI, divide your weight in kilograms by your height in metres and then divide the figure you get by your height in metres again. Alternatively use the Bupa BMI calculator.
If you have a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9, you are a healthy weight. A BMI of more than this means you are overweight. A BMI of over 30 is classified as being obese.
If you are overweight or obese, you are more at risk of serious diseases such as diabetes, certain types of cancer and heart problems.
Over half of all women and two-thirds of men in the UK are overweight or obese.

The number of people in the UK who are obese has greatly increased since 1999, yet fewer people consider themselves to be overweight or obese, according to new research.

In 1999, just over one in 10 people surveyed had a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30, classing them as obese. In 2007, this had risen to nearly two people in 10. However, when asked to classify their body size, there was a decrease in the number of people who thought they were overweight or obese.

One of the researchers, Director of Cancer Research UK Health Behaviour Research Centre, Professor Jane Wardle, told the Bupa health information team that there is a major problem of under-recognition of being overweight or obese among the population. She said: "Perceptions of what is overweight have fallen. There is a wide presumption that the average weight of people around you is normal, but this isn't true. The majority of the population is overweight."

In the past, concern centred on young women who considered themselves to be overweight when they were actually a healthy weight. The researchers suggest that focusing on the issue of thinness has led to the problem of obesity being neglected. Professor Wardle said: "A mother may be so concerned in making sure her daughter isn't obsessed with being thin that she fails to recognise that she is overweight."

The researchers say this lack of recognition of what is a healthy weight is likely to mean that public health messages aren't getting to the people they target. Individuals who are overweight may not regard the information as relevant to them. Therefore, many people who could benefit from making lifestyle changes won't do so, putting themselves at risk of serious health problems in the future.

Professor Wardle said there was a need for a general public health message encouraging people to keep track of their weight and waist measurement so that any weight increase can be caught early. However, she said: "Mass fear of anorexia has led to people throwing away the scales."