The majority of people - including healthcare professionals - 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 (General Practitioners) 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. Their findings suggested that exposure to heavier body weights may influence what people see as a normal and healthy weight and causes people to underestimate a person's weight.
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