Majority of people underestimate a person’s weight

Participants in the study were unable to correctly identify what a healthy weight, overweight or obese person looked like. The majority of people - including GPs - are unable to visually identify whether a person is a healthy weight, overweight or obese according to research by psychologists at the University of Liverpool. Researchers from the University's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society asked participants to look at photographs of male models and categorise whether they were a healthy weight, overweight or obese according to World Health Organisation (WHO) Body Mass Index (BMI) guidelines. They found that the majority of participants were unable to correctly identify whether they were a healthy weight, overweight or obese person. Participants instead underestimated weight, often believing that overweight men were a healthy weight. In a related study of healthcare professionals, the researchers also found that GPs and trainee GPs were unable to visually identify if a person was overweight or obese. The researchers also examined whether increased exposure to overweight and obese people affected a person's ability to estimate the weight of a person.