Global Poll: A Look at Weight Around the World

Last year, Reader’s Digest published an article detailing a global diet poll they commissioned. Such information is very valuable in letting us know how people in other countries think about dieting.

To summarize:

• Reader’s digest reported that Americans have the hardest time in dieting than any other country after surveying 16,000 people in 16 countries. In addition, Americans feel overweight women are stigmatized the most for their weight.
• Brazilians feel the biggest pressure to reduce their weight while people in Finland are the most aware of obesity risks due to previously having a high rate of heart disease.
• Hungarians are the most accepting of weight, even in spouses.
• People in Russia still tend to smoke to reduce weight and that that obesity mainly results from genetics.
• Almost 75% of Americans believe the American diet leads to obesity.
• There are more people in Mexico that know the proper and healthy way to diet. Most of them understand that the key to improving weight is a healthy diet and increasing physical activity.

No matter what country you live in, unless you’re from Hungary, people everywhere are feeling pressure to maintain their weight. In modern society, especially developed nations, food is very abundant and easily accessible, leading us to overeating and lowered activity. Let’s try to reduce our habits of eating too much food and eat until we feel 80% full. Practicing this also keeps us from feeling over-stuffed.