Inertia, not ignorance, fuels heart risk

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A survey in Britain shows that people are well aware of the risks of obesity, but may not be prepared to do anything about it.
Obesity is a known risk factor for heart disease - and one which people can actually do something about. British researchers have carried out a survey into attitudes towards obesity among the population.

Nearly 500 people were questioned and three quarters of them knew that excess weight around the waist is a risk factor for heart disease. But 42 per cent of men and 27 per cent of women said they were 'not at all bothered' about the impact it might have on their health.

They seemed to be more concerned about the effect obesity had on others. Sixty nine per cent said they would tell people to lose weight for health reasons. But 15 per cent said they would not mention it to a loved one because they 'loved them as they were'. And one in ten were afraid of giving offence.

When it came to monitoring weight, 41 per cent relied on scales, 24 per cent looked in the mirror and 19 per cent checked how tight their clothes were. In fact, the best way of checking for obesity is to measure waist circumference and only three per cent were doing this.

Source
National Opinion Polls 14th February 2005