"UK women are 'fattest in Europe'"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15901351
I'm sure that this correlation education and obesity correlation is the same for men too, not just women.
What I am pondering is whether it is a simple case of 'dumb people eat chips' or if the education/obesity correlation is not a direct cause and effect (probably).
Perhaps people who are more intelligent tend to read more/better quality newspapers and get the information that way, or perhaps it is to do with the education/wealth correlation (although I personally do not buy into the 'it is expensive to eat healthily' thing).
People who are overweight come from all backgrounds, however in the lower income brackets there is less money and opportunity for better food, better education, better social activities and so on....
With women specifically they are less likely to be employed in physical jobs, more likely to be stay-at-home mums and thus have less opportunity for exercise in the same way men of a similar demographic might....
I was only thinking about food costs earlier this week...I was buying some Fresh Chicken Breast, which were around £6 for 3 small breasts, and then looked at Frozen processed Breaded Chicken Breast which were £1-39 for 4......this is repeated across a whole range of Fresh foods and it is not surprising that a mother on a very low income would choose the unhealthier option given the price difference....this doesn't even consider the point that many 'younger' mothers don't know how to cook healthy meals on a budget any more, thus the education issue.
The same with simple things like days out, simply walking around a museum, shopping trips, visiting parks etc...are not always affordable, even when the park or whatever is free, the costs of travel etc can be prohibitive, even if it does seem a small cost to us, it may not be to them.
There is also the psychological aspects of over-eating to consider, again the lower the income bracket the more likely someone is to suffer from depression, low self esteem etc...
The preponderance of cheap, unhealthy foods, poor education about food, poor labelling, unnecessary additives in even the simplest foods (fructose added to frozen plain chicken breast for example) and the way they are marketed by stores make it doubly difficult for anyone, least of all someone struggling to feed a family on very little money.
This is not to say that there are people who are overweight due to inherrent laziness or simply over eating because they want to, but from experience I know that most people who are overweight do not want to be, they simply need the encouragement and opportunity to motivate and enable themselves to change their lifestyle and ultimately their weight.
Dismissing them or worse, villifying them does nothing but reinforce their low self esteem and do nothing to encourage them to lose weight and change their life.
When you are in a Gym and people are pointing and giggling about you it doesn't inspire you to return.....
