Communters are more likely to become overweight than those living near their work, according to research from the Nutrition and Health Foundation (NHF).
It found more people living in the Leinster commuter belt felt they were overweight than those living in Dublin . Some 55 per cent of Leinster participants believed they were overweight, compared to 45 per cent of those who lived and worked in Dublin.
“People are working longer days and spending longer times in their car or on public transport, so they have less opportunity to get exercise,” NHF manager Dr Muireann Cullen said. NHF is a health promotion initiative within Ibec.
Parents were also 34 per cent more likely to be overweight than those with no children because time constraints made them less likely to balance eating with physical activity.
Dr Cullen warned this could also impact on children's health. Children learn by example and parents are the most important people in their life, she said.
The research was conducted in August among 1,163 members of advertising site Pigsback.com. It examined a nationally representative group’s attitudes towards nutrition, health and physical activity with the aim of promoting a healthier Irish society.
The NHF warned obesity-related health problems would strain future health budgets if population-wide weight control was not promoted effectively.
It found long-term weight loss success was less than 50 per cent for men and women. Dr Cullen said people did not give themselves enough time to adjust physically and psychologically to weight loss.
“A lot of the time people look for the quick answer,” she said. “It didn’t go on overnight and it shouldn’t go off overnight.”
Men were less than half as likely as their female counterparts to report they wanted to weigh “a lot less”.
Almost half of male participants believed they were the right weight. However, a 2007 SLAN national survey of 10,000 people found two out of three men were overweight.
The NHF believes men are placing themselves at risk of further health problems through their perception of their ideal weight.
“There is an obvious need for more education, particularly for men, to ensure that healthy choices are easy and physical activity returns to being a normal part of everyday life,” said Dr Cullen.
“Given the current emphasis on promoting population-wide weight control as a means of preventing obesity, it is important to gain a better understanding of weight-related concerns, weight loss and weight maintenance practices amongst the population.”