Every Other Estonian Is Overweight or Obese
According to a study conducted by the National Institute for Health Development, 55 percent of men and 50 percent of women in Estonia are overweight or obese.
A total of 36 percent of men and 26 percent of women had a body mass index of 25 to 29.9, meeting the definition of "overweight," while 19 percent of both genders were obese (BMI of 30 and up).
Compared to the last study, from the start of the decade, the overweight proportion increased only among males aged 16-34, while obesity increased among older men and nearly all groups of women.
The study was conducted in March and April 2012 and there were 2,969 respondents.
Among two noteworthy trends, between the ages of 25-34, only 5.9 percent of women are obese. The figure then jumps to 16.1 percent in the 35-44 age group. Meanwhile, the percentage of overweight men doubles as they go from their teens and early 20s to their mid 20s to late 30s.
Body mass index is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.