Study finds that 47% of people in Ireland classify themselves as overweight

A new survey commissioned by leading protection specialist Royal London has revealed that 42% of Irish people classify themselves as ‘overweight’ while a further 5% consider themselves to be ‘obese’. These results are from a study, conducted by iReach, which asked 1,000 respondents around the country how they would describe their weight and health.

Speaking about the findings, Colette Houton, Underwriting and Claims Lead at Royal London said,

“It may be hard to believe that nearly half of those surveyed described themselves as either overweight or obese given the upward trend in healthy lifestyles. However, when compared with recent official data from the 2017 Healthy Ireland Survey¹ which stated that 62% of the Irish population are now either overweight or obese, it would indicate a level of understatement by our survey respondents

“Whether one is aware or not of their weight classification, there’s no denying that being overweight or obese has an impact and more than likely is putting their health at risk. People classed as obese are at a significantly higher risk of suffering from many chronic diseases like heart disease, certain cancers, Type 2 diabetes, mental ill-health and respiratory problems². Looking at the current obesity statistics it’s likely that Ireland will face a dramatic increase in chronic diseases like these in the future. In addition to the direct effects on the individual involved, this issue has wider socio-economic implications, such as a reduction of overall national quality of life and productivity, along with a strain on health services, which reportedly cost economies millions every year.”

Research published in the Safefood³ report in 2017 put the estimated costs attributed to childhood overweight and obesity at €4.6 billion in the Republic of Ireland. This study took into account direct healthcare costs, as well as indirect costs due to absenteeism and premature mortality.

Less than half (48%) of the Royal London survey respondents described their weight as being ‘normal’. A similar amount of those surveyed, 52%, described their health as ‘averagely healthy’.

Perception by gender

The Royal London survey found that, in general, men had a more positive view of their weight and health than women.

• 46% of females described themselves as ‘overweight’ compared with 39% of males
• More men (68%) than women (63%) described themselves as ‘very or averagely healthy’
• Of the 4% that described their health as very unhealthy, there were twice as many females (6%) as males (3%)

Colette commented on these findings saying,

“Despite knowing the links between weight and our health, we know from our own policyholder data insights that people have a tendency to underestimate their own weight. This could be down to weight fluctuations, which happen for a variety of reasons, or in reference to a previous or aspirational weight. It would appear from these results that, although the differences aren’t staggering, women may generally take a more negative view of their weight and health than their male counterparts. It’s likely that females have a more accurate valuation of their weight from weighing themselves more frequently.”