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Normalisation of 'plus-size' may undermine the efforts to tackle obesity

Analysis of data from almost 23,460 people who are overweight or obese revealed that weight misperception has increased in England

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If not tackled, overweight and obesity can persist into adulthood. Photo: Shutterstock

Press Trust of India
Normalisation of ‘plus-size' body shapes lead to an increasing number of people underestimating their weight - undermining efforts to tackle the problem of obesity.
 
While attempts to reduce stigmatisation of larger body sizes - for example with the launch of plus-size clothing ranges - help promote body positivity, the study highlights an unintentional negative consequence that may prevent recognition of the health risks of being overweight.
 
The study by Raya Muttarak, from the University of East Anglia (UEA) in the UK and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria, examined the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics