Stigma stops people addressing weight issues

The social stigma attached to being overweight or obese is preventing people from taking action to address it, Ireland’s health watchdog said yesterday.

Safefood’s director of human health and nutrition, Dr Cliodhna Foley-Nolan, said it is unfair to describe people who are overweight or obese as weak-willed.

“It is a lot easier for some of us than it is for others to remain lean and it should not be cause for self-congratulation if you are one of the luckier ones,” she said.