Study: Obese less likely to define themselves as such

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Most obese people refuse to recognize the severity of their weight problem, a new study says.

The study of 104 adults, ages 45 to 64, showed that only 15 percent of people who fit the body type for obese correctly classified themselves that way. In contrast, 71 percent of normal-weight people and 73 percent of people classified as overweight were accurate in their self-assessments.

"I think part of the disconnect is just the overall image people have when you say 'obesity,'" said Kim Truesdale, a nutrition researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "They see someone who's 400 pounds, maybe morbidly obese. They don't think about the person who's 5'10" and you weigh 208, 209 pounds and you are technically obese. You can probably think of a lot of men who are 5'10" and over 200 pounds."

However, John Cawley, a researcher at Cornell University who has studied body image, questioned the study's reliance on body-mass index as a measure of obesity. He said many researchers view BMI -- a ratio of a person's weight and height -- as being of limited use.

"BMI does not take into account body composition -- weightlifters and other athletes may be classified as clinically obese because their weight is high even though they have almost no fat," Cawley said.