More than a third (39 per cent) of people in the UK – around 25 million – say they do not eat healthily because it is too expensive to do so.   One in seven people (14 per cent) said they do not have time to prepare healthy food, and one in ten (10 per cent) said they do not know how to eat healthily.

These are the findings of new research out today from UK health charity Nuffield Health, who questioned more than 3,100 UK adults.  The figures provide a snapshot of the UK’s views on obesity and healthy lifestyle choices.  Experts say the findings are concerning, and show poor understanding about healthy living and an acceptance that obesity has become the norm in society.

The research, carried out to support National Obesity Awareness Week, highlights the urgency for effective obesity prevention strategies.  Of those polled, a third of people said they had noticed a rise in obesity in the area they live.  40 per cent of people said that seeing obese adults in the area they live in is common, with almost the same number – 38 per cent – saying that childhood obesity is now the norm.

The figures back up research released this week by the National Obesity Forum which shows that current strategies are failing to halt the rise in obesity, and a 2007 prediction that more than half of people in the UK will be obese by 2050 will in fact be exceeded.

Of the respondents, a further 550 people who were measured as obese – with a Body Mass Index of more than 30* – were questioned about their views on weight management.

Of this group:

• Nearly half (48 per cent) are resigned to remaining obese due to a lack of willpower
• 17 per cent said they had never attempted to lose weight
• One in five (20 per cent) would rather be overweight than watch what they eat.

When questioned about attitudes towards exercise, the figures showed:

• 40 per cent said they find exercise boring
• A quarter (25 per cent) do not have time to exercise
• One in seven (14 per cent) would rather be overweight than have to exercise.

When questioned about the Government’s response to tackling the problem, almost half (45 per cent) said that GP referrals for exercise should be considered. 40 per cent would like to see increased funding for recognised weight management programmes, 43 per cent want stricter regulations on ‘unhealthy’ food and drink chains from sponsoring high profile events and 40 per cent said that school meals should be regulated as a matter of urgency.

While the majority of respondents (81 per cent) said obesity is the fault of the individual, when questioned about contributing factors to the UK’s obesity epidemic, more than half (55 per cent) said the blame lies with the food industry.

Jackie Donkin, Nutritional Therapist at Nuffield Health, said; ”People who are trapped in the rut that is obesity need to take a step back and really think about the food they are eating.   As a nation, if we continue in this way we are heading for not only an obese population of children and adults, but a chronically ill population.  The key to success is not just dieting, it is long-term lifestyle changes that people need to adopt and which will only work if taken in small steps over a long period of time.

Eating more fruit and vegetables, cutting down on takeaways, or eating food in its natural state, rather than covered in rich sauces, will drastically reduce the amount of fat and sugar we eat.  Increasing day-to-day activity; walking up the stairs instead of taking the lift; walking those short distances instead of taking the car; going for a walk around the block in the evening, will all contribute to a healthier lifestyle, which once adopted will become much easier to maintain over time.”