Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »
Sat 11 Nov 2008The fat of the land
One in four Irish people is obese, according to a recent survey - but who decides what constitutes being overweight and what can we do about it, asks Fiona McCann
ACCORDING TO THE Miriam Webster online dictionary, it's "a condition characterised by the excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body". The medical definition is "BMI (body mass index, a figure calculated using a person's height and weight) of or above 30". The word in question is "obese", which conjures up pictures of bed-bound Americans who have to be airlifted out of their houses when their hearts give in, not something that affects ourselves.
Choose a Subscription type - required
