Obesity: 'We have been sold the idea that it is all about personal responsibility'

Some one million people in Ireland live with obesity.  Dietitian Aoife Hearne joins a growing scientific consensus, which says  we need to move beyond the 'eat less and move more' mantra and explore the complexity of weight gain 

Pic: iStock

Anyone who struggles with obesity will also know all about the extra burden of judgment, the blaming and shaming for being lazy or not having enough willpower. 

However, in recent years, there has been a change in thinking around obesity, with a growing scientific consensus that it is not due to a personal failing or lack of control and is instead a complex and chronic condition that deserves a compassionate and supportive response.