In 1990, approximately seven percent of Icelandic men and 9.5 of women were overweight. In 2007, every fifth Icelander considered him or herself to be overweight, according to a survey by Erna Matthíasdóttir presented yesterday.
Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
Matthíasdóttir also concluded in her survey that the majority of Icelanders between 18 and 79 believe that they have to lose weight and that 43 percent of people are dissatisfied with their weight, more women than men, Fréttabladid reports.
The Public Health Institute of Iceland recommends that Icelanders exercise more often and adopt a healthier diet.
The institute finds that too much emphasis is placed on weight in health discussions, which leads to more people going on a diet, which does not result in improved health, rather the opposite.
