You can blame it on media's or society's perception on being overweight or obese. The bottom line is both men and women don't want to admit they're already beyond their normal BMI, causing a major problem as they may also not understand the risks of having too much weight.
Cancer Research UK funded a study that aims to determine the people's belief of their own weight-that is, if they will recognize and accept that they are overweight or obese. People who belong to any of these categories are said to be beyond their normal body mass index (BMI).
They performed the study on more than 650 people twice over the last 5 years. During the first, in 2007, more than 45% of women and almost 27% of men considered themselves as either obese or overweight. However, in the second test, in 2012, the figures dropped for the women population by 16%. Men also didn't consider themselves as overweight as the rates dropped by 4%.
For one of the authors of the study, Jane Wardle, who also works as a director of the cancer research, this is a great source of worry as these people may never really understand that they may already be at risk of serious diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and type 2 diabetes.
But why is this happening? There are number of possible explanations. Being overweight and obese has become so common that people cannot tell the difference between normal and too much weight anymore. But the biggest reason may be how media portrays obesity.
Although there are already numerous campaigns against obesity, obesity has been reduced to a term that people may find insulting, offensive, or derogatory.
he team behind the research hopes that the health industry will be able to find a more reliable way of addressing the subject, which has become very sensitive for many Britons.