Maintain pressure on reforms to protect NHSRecession could have negative impact on obesity levels
People who are in serious debt are more likely to be obese than those not in debt, suggests research.
German researchers have found that a quarter of indebted people are clinically obese, after studying more than 9,000 individuals. Only 11% of people involved in the study who were not in debt were obese.
The researchers said that the results can be attributed to the higher cost of eating healthily and the tendency of worried individuals to comfort eat.
The results were compiled after 949 indebted participants gave information on income, body mass index, age, sex, smoking habits, education and depression. They were identified for the research following a survey of people going to counselling centres in two German states.
The authors of the research, which has been published by BMC Public Health, said that debt can increase the chances of a number of chronic diseases by limiting leisure time and participation in social events.
Dr Eva Munster, who lead the research, from the University of Mainz, said: ‘We’ve shown that debt can be associated with the probability of being overweight or obese, independent of these factors.’
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