Some 92 per cent of people are happy or fairly happy with their health, despite the fact that at least half of them are overweight or obese, according to the findings of a new study to be launched today.
The Nutrition and Health Foundation (NHF) research found a large degree of complacency about obesity. Some 16 per cent of the group surveyed was classified as obese, yet only 9 per cent admitted to being significantly overweight.
Some 73 per cent felt they were healthier than their peers yet one in five was taking medication for heart, lung or other ailments.
"This is either a failure to recognise obesity in oneself, or a refusal to admit it," said Dr Louise Sullivan, manager of the NHF. The foundation is a group of nutrition experts from government, research and health bodies.
Dr Sullivan said the findings highlighted the need for people to take the issue of obesity more seriously.
"Our study shows that many individuals still aren't making the link between obesity and serious chronic disease."
She said the results also suggested that public health campaigns should approach women and men differently.
The study found that women were more likely to improve their health for appearance reasons while men were more likely to be acting on advice from their GP or another health professional.
Men were less likely than women to try any kind of diet or exercise change.
Only 30 per cent of men had introduced some type of diet or exercise change in the past six months compared with 48 per cent of women.
Dr Sullivan said the study also showed that the support of family and friends was "vital" when healthy regimes were introduced.
The research found that while peers and family did not appear to strongly influence a person's decision to begin a diet or exercise plan, this support was a major factor in the success of the plan.
People who exercised on their own were more likely to give up, compared with those who exercised with one or more partners. Similarly, people who began healthy eating regimes on their own while other family members continued to eat normally were less likely to continue the regime.
Dr Sinéad McCarthy, from Teagasc's Ashtown Food Research Centre, said the research showed that many people were finding it difficult to make desired changes to their lifestyle habits. "Understanding more about the motivational and physical barriers that prevent people from making successful change is crucial if we are to make any inroads towards tackling the issue," she said.
