“National recommendations on the means to be taken to losing weight may be too far removed from the concerns of people struggling to make ends meet. “Lisa Kakinami, researcher at theConcordia University, in Quebec, summarizes the results of a study she conducted on weight loss, published by the journal American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Exercising, drinking water, and reducing fat and sugar intake are some of the habit changes that middle- and high-income earners are willing to make, according to research by Canadian scientists. Those who are less well off would rather opt for diet pills, which can have a long-term adverse effect on health.
Immediate results
Yet it is those who live below the poverty line who are most likely to be overweight or obese, remind the authors of the study. “Overall, our results seem to indicate that the preference is for methods which give a feeling of an immediate result, but which do not work in the long term and end up being harmful”, adds the researcher.
The study looked at the analysis of data collected from approximately 8,800 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Study. Lisa Kakinami hopes her team’s work will lead to a profound change in public health.
