One In Four British Women Are Obese, Reveals EU Report

British Women Are the Fattest In Europe, Reveals Report

British women are the fattest in Europe, an EU report has revealed.

Almost a quarter (23.9%) of women in Britain are classed as obese, compared to just 9.3% in Italy, 12.7% in France and 15.6% of German women.

The European Union raised a particular concern about the rate of obesity among younger women in the UK. The figures showed that as many as 16.6% of 18 to 24-year-olds were severely overweight.

The EU's statistics, which collated data from 2008 to 2009, were based on the Body Mass Index (BMI), which measures weight against height.

The calculation is weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in metres) squared.

A BMI of between 21 and 27 is classed as healthy, while above 27 is overweight and over 40 is obese.

And the men didn't fare much better, falling into second place behind Malta, with 22.1% being classed as obese.

Calculate your own BMI to find out if you are a healthy weight for your height.

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