Bodyweight Perception on the Island of Ireland
- Project start date: 10 September 2010
- Project status: Completed
- Project type: Nutrition
- Discipline: Obesity
- Principal researcher/s: Safefood internal research group
Research objective
- To collate information on current research on bodyweight perception including factors associated with, and consequences of, bodyweight misperception
- To identify knowledge gaps
- To recognise key target groups
- To examine international data for methods to address recognition of bodyweight status
- To identify key stakeholders with a view to developing potential partnerships for future safefood campaigns on raising awareness of weight status
- To develop recommendations for both research and communications practice.
Outputs
Research report
- Title: Bodyweight perception on the Island of Ireland
- Publication date: 5 November 2012
- Summary: In recent years, the prevalence of overweight/obesity has increased dramatically, both globally and on the island of Ireland, with a myriad of factors affecting this change.
- Findings:
- Data shows that around a quarter of children on IOI are in the overweight or obese categories, while data across adult cohorts indicate that two out of three adults on IOI are carrying excess weight.
- Figures vary from survey to survey but, in general, reports show that on the island of Ireland a large proportion of adults fail to perceive that they are overweight. Children are also unlikely to perceive that they are overweight. Data on vulnerable groups is largely absent.
- Parents of overweight children and adolescents have been found to systematically underestimate their child’s weight. This may be due, in part, to a fear of stigma and blame.
- A large proportion of health professionals failed to correctly classify bodyweight categories of a range of study models. Thus training in assessing bodyweight status amongst health professionals is required.
- Misperception of bodyweight has been associated with age, gender, race, BMI, physical activity level, smoking behaviour, income and educational background. Mean BMI in the population may influence the social norm for bodyweight, as individual weight status has been found to be strongly influenced by the weight status of close friends and family.
- Men and boys, those with lower incomes and lower educational attainment, younger population groups, and those from ethnic minorities, may be more at risk of misperceiving their own bodyweight status.
- Knowledge and awareness of the health consequences of obesity can effect individual perception, while key psychological and behavioural factors such as optimistic bias and cognitive dissonance also play a part. Such factors may help explain why individuals fail to recognise or acknowledge the health risks including high BMI.
- Lack of recognition of weight status in overweight and obese individuals presents a potentially important barrier to the successful treatment of obesity. The literature suggests that overweight/obese adults, who perceive they are a normal weight, diet less, are less concerned about their weight, are less distressed about overeating and controlling overeating, employ less eating disinhibition and may have low levels of physical activity.
- Recommendations:
- Parents should be the target for campaigns on bodyweight status of children.
- As men and boys, those with lower incomes and lower educational attainment, younger population groups and those from ethnic minorities may be more at risk of misperceiving their own bodyweight status, behaviour change programmes and campaigns should target these groups specifically.
- Work with the media to address uncertainty, mistrust in experts, confusion about what constitutes a healthy weight and portrayal of male and female relationships with weight.
- A targeted intervention that incorporates social relationships in families, friendship groups, schools and communities may be successful in encouraging greater awareness of true bodyweight status and the adoption of healthier eating patterns and greater levels of physical activity.
- Acknowledging the many environmental factors that can influence obesity in campaigns to raise awareness of bodyweight status many help reduce feelings of blame and stigmatisation.
- Training programmes are needed to address lack of confidence and competence among health professionals in addressing bodyweight.
- Conduct a regular National Measurement Programme in schools and make home measurement easy.
You can download the report below.
