Battle of the bulge a global issue: survey

The Reader Digest poll also revealed that Russians smoke the most to try to drop excess weight, and along with Germans and Indians they are most likely to blame genetics for their penchant for piling on the pounds.

“Our poll makes it clear that people around the world are struggling with their weight,” said Peggy Northrop, the vice president and global editor-in-chief of the magazine.

“People are both very concerned about weight and think that people pay too much attention to weight,” she added in an interview.

About 1.6 billion people around the world are overweight or obese. Excess weight also contributes to 2.5 million deaths globally each year, according to the WHO. But people are trying to lose weight.

More than 80 percent of Finns have tried to slim down, followed by 73 percent of the Dutch and 72 percent of Australians and Americans.

But Mexicans had one of the best approaches to losing weight.

“In Mexico, people have a healthy attitude about what you're supposed to do if you want to lose weight. The majority of people there understood that eating a healthier diet and getting more active are key,” Northrop said. “In the United States (U.S.) people were still on the deprivation cycle and we know that doesn't work,” she added. Around the globe women were more likely than men to diet, according to the survey of 16,000 people in 16 countries.

In the U.S., 85 percent of women have tried to diet at some time during their life, and 70 percent thought there was too much of a focus on weight.

In Brazil, the land of the bikini, 83 percent of people said there is too much emphasis on weight.

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