- One in four obese people (BMI 30+) believe they are overweight, survey revealed
- Half of overweight Australians (BMI 25-29) say they were average weight
- This had lead health experts to declare that ‘fat is the new normal’ in Australia
Fat is ‘the new ‘normal’ according to health experts who say many obese Australians don’t realise they have a weight problem.
A new survey has found people aren’t motivated to change their poor lifestyle choices if they think their weight is normal, The Daily Telegraph reported.
Just one in four obese people believe they are overweight, research from The Shape of Australia research from the Heart Foundation and Cancer Council Victoria Live Lighter project found.
Fat is ‘the new ‘normal’ according to health experts who say many obese Australians don’t realise they have a weight problem (stock image)
From a survey of 2000 Australian aged between 25 and 49 two in three obese (BMI over 30) people thought they were only slightly overweight.
One in ten thought they were about average weight.
Half of those surveyed who were overweight (BMI 25-29) said they were average weight.
Dietitian Alison McAleese said two thirds of Australians are above a healthy weight making ‘it normal to be overweight.’
‘You look around you and you see other people of higher weight and you think you look average,’ she says.
‘If you don’t realise you are above a healthy weight you are unlikely to be motivated to make a change.’
A new survey has found people aren’t motivated to change their poor lifestyle choices if they think their weight is normal (stock image)