Married men 3 times more likely to be obese: Study
Hoping to stay thin forever? Fat chance of that if you're married.
So says new research that suggests being married triples the risk of men becoming obese.
Men's risk of being overweight was 62% compared with unmarried couples, the research said.
Men were 3.2 times more likely to be classified as technically obese, per the study, Sky News reported.
Married women aren't out of the woods, however. Their risk of being overweight was 39% higher compared with their unmarried counterparts.
The Polish researchers said that women are 'more often stigmatized' by society and, according to Dr. Alicja Cicha-Mikolajczyk, 'cannot accept living with obesity' and are more likely to take action to lose weight.
In the U.K., the National Health Service generally classifies obese folks as having a body mass index (BMI) of above 30, and being overweight is associated with a BMI of 25-30.
The measure, which looks only at height and weight, has been criticized by some as being overly simplistic, however.
The study examined 2,405 Polish people, typically aged 50. Researchers also found that getting older increased the risk of becoming heavier in both sexes.
Each additional year increased the risk of being overweight by 3% in men and 4% in women. Additionally, the added year increased the risk of obesity by 4% in men and 6% in women.
Depression or lack of health knowledge also impacted the risk of women becoming obese, though it wasn't found in men.
'Age and marital status have undeniable impact on living with overweight or obesity in adulthood, regardless of sex,' the study concluded.
'In turn, inadequate health literacy and having at least borderline depression were associated with obesity in women.
'It appears from our results that the dissemination of health knowledge and health promotion across the lifespan could reduce the worrying phenomenon of increasing levels of obesity.'
The findings are to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Spain in May.
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