Estonia in EU's Top 3 for Share of Overweight Women
Estonia is currently placing third in the EU for the proportion of obese women, according to a recent study conducted by Eurostat in 19 member states.
Obesity was defined as the Body Mass Index (BMI) of the person exceeding 30.
This study somewhat counterbalances the image proposed in a 2010 report by the World Health Organization which, measuring the whole population's average BMI by country, found Estonian women to be Europe's slimmest.
The highest share of obese women - 24 percent - was recorded in the UK. Latvia and Malta shared the second place with 21 percent, while Estonia was third with 20.5 percent.
The lowest percentage of obese women was found in Romania (8 percent) and Italy (9 percent).
In Estonia obesity is a much more common problem among the female population. The share of overweight men in Estonia is significantly lower - 16 percent, which puts them in the 11th place in the EU.
According to the study, obesity occurred more often among women with a less advanced education level, while in men overweight was more of a problem among those having a higher education.
Ingrid Teesalu