Britain’s obese in denial about their weight

A majority of obese people in Britain would not describe themselves as "obese", and many would not even describe themselves as "very overweight", according to research by UCL and Cancer Research UK published in BMJ Open. In one of the first studies of its kind to examine British perceptions of obesity, fewer than 10 per cent of those who are clinically obese accept they have a serious weight problem. In a 2012 survey of around 2000 adults, only 11 per cent of obese women accurately acknowledged they were "obese", with most describing themselves as "very overweight" or "just right". And among men, only seven per cent correctly described themselves as being "obese" and another 16 per cent as "very overweight". Approximately 10 per cent of people in the survey knew the BMI threshold for obesity and those who did were more likely to define themselves as "obese". Researchers suggest that as bigger sizes become the new "normal", people are less likely to recognise the health problems associated with their weight. Professor Jane Wardle co-author and director of the UCL Health Behaviour Centre, said: "It's a real worry that people don't recognise that their weight places them in the obese category, because it means they aren't aware they are at increased risk of a number of health problems including cancer.