Why are British Women the Fattest in Europe?

Statistics indicate that of all the European nations, Britain is the one with the highest proportion of obese women. Between 2008 and 2009 23.9 per cent of British women were classed as obese, ahead of Malta with 21.1 per cent. Romania is at the bottom of the table, with 8 per cent of the female population classed as obese. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the nations with the highest proportion of obese females compared to the lowest and there surely has to be a reason why so many British women are obese.

For a start, Britain has a culture more akin to that of America than of continental Europe. Britons work the longest hours and have the shortest holidays and so they don't spend as much time looking after themselves as they should. Women are encouraged to find work, which many do willingly. However, it can be difficult to find decent childcare and for women to balance work and family life. When so many women are working full-time, looking after the children and keeping the home tidy, they generally don't have as much time to implement strategies that help with weight management.

Consequently, many British women fail to make the right dietary choices. In many European nations, there seems to be a more laid-back attitude towards eating and drinking. In Italy and France, people take time to prepare balanced meals and to enjoy what they're eating. Quite often, in Britain, women will simply eat something that is quick to prepare and doesn't take long to eat. They grab packaged sandwiches that they can eat during their lunch break, and pay little attention to the high-calorie content. They may snack on junk food to take away the hunger pangs as well.

They may not bother to cook meals from scratch, as it is more convenient and less time-consuming to heat up a microwaveable meal or pick up some fast food on the way home. Plus, women's eating habits are often influenced by their emotions. With British women working long hours and struggling to make time for their family; stress, anxiety and depression can be an issue. British women may turn to food or alcohol to lift their spirits, but if they regularly eat huge quantities of chocolate and drink large glasses of wine they will end up consuming an excess number of calories.

This is especially true when so many British women are failing to do enough exercise. Most people have come to depend on their cars to get to work, to take their children to school and to do the shopping. Thus, they are walking less, whilst not taking up any other activities that would enable them to burn more calories. It may be that British women cannot find the time to join a gym or cycle more, but there are plenty of instances where they simply can't be bothered. For these women, the incentive to remain slim and toned is not enough to make the prospect of working up a sweat any more appealing.

Obesity is an issue for most nations within Europe, but it is apparent that the situation is particularly bad in Britain. Unfortunately, many British women eat a poor diet, rarely exercise and fail to get enough sleep. Clearly, the majority of obese women are not happy about the situation, which is why so much money is spent on weight-loss products in Britain, but without lifestyle changes and a healthier attitude towards diet and exercise it is impossible to see how the obesity problem is going to be resolved.