Severely obese less likely to feel they can lose weight

SYDNEY - The more severely obese a person is, the less likely they feel they can reduce their weight, says a new study.

Researchers from Monash University (MU) interviewed 141 obese people to try to gauge how they perceived their weight and ability to manage it.

Study co-author Samantha Thomas said those in the severely obese category blamed themselves for their weight and often described themselves as at war with their bodies.

“Severely obese individuals felt an urgent and desperate need to change their health behaviours, but felt completely powerless to do so. Most felt worried and scared about the potential health consequences of their weight,” she said.

“Most felt blamed and ashamed by public health and education campaigns about obesity, which did little to actually help them address their weight,” Thomas said.

Conversely, people whose weight fell within the mild to moderately obese range understood they were significantly overweight but did not believe they needed to lose weight to improve their health and well being.

“Most of the study participants in this category deliberately sought to distance themselves from public health messages about obesity and the word obesity because of the social stigma attached to the condition,” Thomas said.

Thomas said it appeared the public health messages were not getting through to those who needed it most, said a Monash release.

“Society’s attitudes need to change, governments need to refocus health messages and we need to accept obesity as a serious health issue,” said Thomas.

It is estimated that about 18 percent of adults are obese according to their body mass index (BMI 30+). Of these, about two percent are considered severely obese (BMI 40+). BMI is height to weight ratio.