Are You Disconnected From Your Weight?
The National Consumer League (NCL) commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct an online survey of adult Americans on issues related to weight, obesity, and weight-loss efforts.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 66 percent of U.S. adults are overweight (33 percent) or obese (33 percent) but, according to the NCL survey, only 12 percent of U.S. adults say they have ever been told by a doctor, nurse, or other health care professional that they are obese.
NCL's survey found a disconnect between the way people perceive their weight, and their actual weight category based on the body mass index (BMI). U.S. adults were much more likely to refer to themselves as "overweight" rather than "obese", and consistently identified themselves as being in less severely overweight groups. In fact, 52 percent of respondents referred to themselves as overweight, and only 12 percent as obese, severely obese, or morbidly obese. But, based on actual BMI calculations using self reported height and weight information, among the 96 percent of respondents *****ported height and weight, 35 percent are actually "overweight," whereas 34 percent are actually obese, severely obese, or morbidly obese. Among respondents who are obese according to BMI, 82 percent consider themselves to be simply "overweight."
A minority of all respondents (20 percent) claimed to know their BMI number. Most respondents (78 percent) say that obesity is a serious, chronic disease and that it requires medical treatment (54 percent). Particularly disturbing is the fact that most U.S. adults (61 percent) report that obesity is considered taboo in society today, and half (50 percent) attribute the condition to a "lack of will power." More than a third of U.S. adults (37 percent) agree that obese people should pay more for health insurance, and more than a quarter (27 percent) say that it is still acceptable to make fun of obesity.
Although 79 percent of respondents say weight-loss surgery can be a life-saving treatment, half (49 percent) agree that there is a stigma associated with using surgery as a weight-loss option. Moreover, 47 percent held a very negative or somewhat negative view of weight-loss surgery.
About half (52 percent) of people say that they have talked about losing weight with their doctor, although respondents who are obese are more likely to have done so. Among those who have discussed weight loss with their doctor, nearly three in five (59 percent) report that their doctors recommended a diet change (47 percent) and/or exercise regimen (35 percent). However, only one third discussed the health risks associated with their weight, and only 10 percent said their doctor helped them develop a plan to lose weight.
