Many British men don't realise how fat t

Zoe Diego  Nearly a third of British men (31 per cent) who would describe themselves as being normal weight are actually overweight or obese, according to a large European survey published today. In contrast, just 15 per cent of women who believe they are normal weight are overweight or obese. Nearly half of British men (45 per cent) are happy with their weight, compared to just a third of women. The findings are part of an international survey of 14,000 people in seven countries about their attitudes to weight and obesity, conducted by the independent strategic insight agency Opinium, in collaboration with the European Association for the Study of Obesity. • READ: The only way we'll beat obesity is with sweat, tears and horror It was also revealed that less than a fifth of UK adult men believe obesity to be a disease – compared to two thirds (65 per cent) of French men and 62 per cent of Italians. Last year another study found that overweight men and women who were told that obesity is a disease were less interested in going on a diet to improve their health. The new European study also found that just under a third (32 per cent) of British men believe that stress is a contributing factor to obesity, compared to 43 per cent of women. Just 15 per cent of men believed that lack of sleep contributed to obesity, compared to 21 per cent of women. Men, the study also concluded, are slightly less likely to perceive poor diet to be the main contributing factor to obesity. Across Europe, the study also revealed gaps in men's knowledge of obesity-related conditions, with women far more aware of the links between obesity and heart disease, high blood pressure and joint pain. • READ: In praise of the dadbod, the man who's let himself go a bit Professor Pinki Sahota, Deputy Chair of The Association for the Study of Obesity, said: "Obesity is one of the fastest growing threats to the health and wellbeing of our society. In some parts of the UK as many as seven out of ten adults are now classified as overweight or obese. And yet, this survey shows that many people still appear to have little understanding of what equals a healthy weight." The World Health Organisation recently projected that 74 per cent of men in the UK will be overweight by 2030. According to recent government estimates, the cost of obesity will rise to £50 billion by the year 2050. The study was commissioned to mark European Obesity Day, which is on May 16.