TWO-THIRDS of Americans are overweight, but they underestimate the scale of the problem. The average guess from Americans responding to an Ipsos MORI poll in December estimated the portly population at just 50%. Britain is not much different, where 62% of people are over the recommended healthy weight; most think the population is slimmer, guessing that only 44% are too heavy. France, Germany and other European countries are similarly mistaken. But the biggest gaps between perception and reality are in Middle Eastern countries, such as Israel and Saudi Arabia (see chart). In general women make better guesses than men, but in India and Saudi Arabia, the outliers, men are slightly more accurate.

Concerns that the tubby tally is increasing excessively have led to actions to tackle obesity, specifically in children. The World Health Organisation held the first meeting of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity in 2014, recognising the link between obesity while young and non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, musculoskeletal disorders and cardiovascular disease in adult life. The number of children aged 0-5 years-old who were overweight rose by a third worldwide between 1990-2013. This is forecast to soar by another 70% by 2025 if nothing is done. In England a comprehensive programme measuring children’s weight, launched in 2006, provides clear evidence of the problem there. Among children aged five in 2007, 9.6% were obese; by age 11 the proportion had jumped to 19.1%. In her annual report last month England’s chief medical officer focussed on the importance of perinatal diet and health of mothers as a key focus in tackling obesity from pre-birth through to adulthood.