Most people ‘cannot identify obesity by sight’

Most people in the UK are not able to identify whether a person is obese by looking at them – an issue that also extends to medical professionals.

This was the conclusion of a new study from the University of Liverpool, which asked participants to look at photographs of male models and categorise whether they were a healthy weight, overweight or obese.

It was found that the majority of participants were unable to answer correctly identify, instead frequently underestimating weight and believing that overweight men were actually healthy. This remained true when the test was given to GPs and trainees.

The study also indicated that increased exposure to overweight and obese people affects an individual's ability to estimate the weight of a person, with findings suggesting that exposure to heavier body weights may influence what people see as normal.

Psychologist Dr Eric Robinson said: "Over the last 30 years we have seen changes to population body weight, so examining how this has affected how we view our own and other people's body sizes is an interesting area of research."

As obesity is becoming more and more prevalent in the UK population, this is an issue that could take on greater prominence in the coming years.