Germans grow lazy and overweight, study finds

By Sarah Roberts

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germans have grown lazy over the last two generations and that has contributed to a worrying increase in obesity rates, according to a government study published on Wednesday.

"People are more idle than 40 years ago -- they are desk-bound and lazy," said Marianne Eisinger-Watzl of the Federal Research Institute for Food and Nutrition study. "Food is more energy-dense and snacking is on the up."

Two thirds of German men and 51 percent of women carry excess fat compared to 39 percent of men and 47 percent of women in the last national study done 20 years ago. One in five Germans are clinically obese, the study found.

More than 20,000 Germans aged between 18 and 80 years old were asked about their eating habits for the purpose of the survey, which was conducted by the Ministry for Consumer Protection.

Consumer Protection Minister Horst Seehofer pointedly chewed on a carrot at the news conference.

"We need to educate people better," Seehofer said after devouring the contents of a lunch box filled with healthy food.

Germany is one of the most obese nations in Europe, according to the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

Education and income factors directly affect obesity, according to the study which showed 35 percent of women with a state school education are obese compared to only 9.7 percent from private schools.