Global weight survey looks at scale obsessions, fast food addictions and obesity (page 1 of 2)

Synovate's Global Head of Media, Steve Garton, said that these conflicts can be seen across cultures as well as within individuals.

"People are inherently contradictory and nowhere is it more obvious than on such a sensitive and important issue as their weight. The results show there's a world of people who cannot deny themselves that hamburger or extra piece of pizza, but probably make themselves feel better by washing it down with a diet cola."

The findings come from a global survey that looked at weight management among more than 9,000 respondents across 13 countries on five continents - United Kingdom, France, Czech Republic, Romania, United States, Canada, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

Off-the-scale behaviour

Fifteen percent of French people and 12% of Americans weigh themselves every single day, while at the other end of the spectrum only 15% of Hong Kongers get on the scales once or more every week.

"We wanted to see whether people were habitually thinking about their weight and monitoring it," Garton said.

Around a third of all respondents are regular scale-dwellers, while one in five people never weigh themselves. Half of all Americans and the French check their weight once a week or more and the Singaporeans are the least weight-obsessed with 37% never getting on the scales.

Thierry Pailleux, Synovate's Managing Director in France, made the point that the similar results for France and America possibly stemmed from very different motivations.

"French people take care of their image as a matter of course. Being thin is part of our culture and a point of pride. We are known for it. On top of this, there is increasing awareness of the devastation that obesity can cause to one's health."

In the UAE 22% weighs themselves once a week against 15 % in Saudi Arabia and 19% of the Saudis claim they never weigh themselves at all. A quarter of the respondents in the UAE and in Saudi Arabia only step on the scales whenever they remember.

Food as fuel or pleasure?

The study asked a series of attitudinal questions which respondents agreed or disagreed with. Garton said this was the clincher in realising just how conflicted people seem to be about food.

"On one hand, more than half of all respondents (54%) agreed that they eat whatever they want, whenever they want. On the other hand, more than two thirds say 'I watch my food intake carefully and strive to be healthy' which rather flies in the face of the first claim. This is the crux of food issues across the globe. People are torn by food as fuel versus food as pleasure," he said.

The number one fast food nation

The Synovate study also uncovered the number one fast food nation. When asked to agree or disagree with the statement 'I like the taste of fast food too much to give it up', the most addicted nation was the United Kingdom with 45% agreeing.

"Britons love their fish and chips, but only beat the Americans to the punch on fast food addiction by a small margin of one percent. A hefty 44% of Americans cannot give up burgers, pizza and wings, with the next most addicted nation Canada at 37%," Garton said.

The highest disagrees were France (81%), Singapore (75%) and Hong Kong and Romania (both 73%). The Saudis disagreed on this statement with 67% and the UAE with 60%.