Obesity is a disease, it's no longer as simple as loosing weight, according to an expert in the field.
image via pixabayIreland is facing an obesity epidemic.
A quarter of adults here are now living with obesity, according to Maynooth University.
They are holding a seminar looking at the prevalence of the disease and the stigma attached to it.
Associate Professor Andrew Hogan says it's a problem that's been expanding for years, as our lifestyles change:
"It's a deadly rising both in kind of numbers but definitely in the severity"
Dr. Hogan says education is the key to fighting Ireland's obesity epidemic.
One in four adults here are living with obesity, with a quarter of our children also obese or overweight.
Dr. Hogan believes prevention and education is the only way to address the problem.
He says people need to understand that there is scientific proof that obesity is not a fault of the individual.
"It's no longer as easy as loose weight, this is a disease."
"This is not a personal choice."
