Obese people more likely to be divorced or jobless

OVERWEIGHT and obese people in Ireland are more likely to be divorced, separated or unemployed, research has revealed.

It also found that people who put on weight before the age of five are more likely to be obese as adults, than those who gain weight later in life.

The study looked at 850 patients who attended the weight management clinic at St Columcille’s Hospital in Dublin — the state’s only publicly-funded weight management service — over the past seven years.

It found that four out of 10 people who provided dietary information ate fast food once a week, with just 32% saying they never ate that kind of food.

More than one in five said they were unemployed.

Dr Donal O’Shea, one of the authors of the study and a consultant at the clinic, said he was particularly concerned about the finding in relation to children under five. Currently, there is no publicly-funded multi-disciplinary weight management service in Ireland for overweight or obese children.

He said the finding in relation to marital status appeared to mirror the situation internationally.

The Irish Heart Foundation has warned that Ireland is storing up serious health problems for the future with six out of 10 adults and one in four children either overweight or obese.

It found that Irish people are eating far too many foods that are high in fat, sugar and salts — food linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, angina, heart attacks and osteoarthritis.

A total of 60% of 10,000 people surveyed had a waist measurement that would be defined at “centrally obese”, with a gender breakdown of 47% men and 70% women.

Central obesity is associated with a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

People attending St Columcille’s weight management clinic were found to have high rates of blood pressure, depression and diabetes. They were less likely to smoke, however, because of the effect the habit has on their life expectancy.

Dr O’Shea said that while the calorie intake of Irish people was broadly the same as it was 20 years ago, activity levels had dropped off.