Women
underestimate their weight more than men do
Women underestimate their weight by almost twice
as much as men and by an average of 5lbs, a study has revealed. According to a
Health and Social Care Centre report, the average British woman thinks they
weigh 10st 11lbs when their actual weight is 11st 3lbs, the Mirror reported.
The report also shows the gap between perception
and reality was biggest among women between 35 and 39.
They think they are nearly 8lbs lighter than they
actually are Men underestimate their weight by about 3lbs, the report said. They
mistakenly think they weigh 13st on average, when they actually weigh 13st
3lbs.
It is not known why women underestimate their
weight more than men.
It is the first time the Health and Social Care
Centre has examined the issue. More than 8,000 adults were quizzed about their
perceived height and weight before their actual measurements were recorded by
researchers.
Parents were also asked whether they thought
their child was the about the right weight, too heavy or too light before their
child was measured Incredibly, nearly half of parents of obese kids thought
their child was “about the right weight,” according to the report Health Survey
for England.
And four out of five parents of overweight
children thought their son or daughter was “about the right weight.
“This survey gives a brand new insight into how
the average adult in England has a different idea of their weight compared to
what the scales actually show,” HSCIC chief executive Tim Straughan said. “Women
appear to misjudge their weight more than men – with women in their late
thirties in particular underestimating their weight by nearly 8lb,” he added.
If peoples’ own estimated weight and height were
used to classify their weight, 17 percent of men and 20 percent of women would
be classified as obese.
But the reality is much worse. Actual
measurements put the figures at 24 percent and 26 percent respectively.
The report found that while people are generally
close to knowing their actual height, their perception of weight is far less
accurate.
Source: www.dnaindia.com
24.12.2012
High
expectations are the key to everything
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