Fears that Bermudians are even fatter than we thought have been backed up by a new health survey.

Screening tests on motorists at TCD over the past week showed 47 percent of people are obese — more than double the 23 percent revealed in the Bermuda Health Survey last month.

It backs Health Promotion Coordinator Jennifer Attride-Stirling's claim that September's results were an underestimation because they were based on self-reported information, allowing people to understate their weight and overstate their height.

The TCD tests, dubbed Spare Tyre Screening, aimed to take advantage of lengthy waiting times faced by frustrated motorists. More than 100 people had their blood pressure, blood sugar, waist measurement and body mass index calculated.

Under a "traffic light" test to summarise people's health, 39 percent were given a danger red rating, 20 percent a warning amber rating, with 41 percent given the green light.

People were also given questionnaires to fill in — and the results showed an alarming lack of awareness of obesity related problems.

Almost all obese people (96 percent) did not describe themselves as obese. More than half the total participants (53 percent) did not know obesity meant fat beyond overweight, with many thinking it meant simply overweight.

Nearly half (46 percent) did not realise they need 30 to 60 minutes exercise a day, a handful (six percent) did not think obesity was a health hazard, while less than one in five (17 percent) knew 100 too many calories a day leads to serious weight gain.

Revealing the details in a press conference at TCD yesterday, Health Minister Michael Scott said: "These results indicate we have work to do in educating the public about what obesity is and to make people aware that it does not take a lot of extra calories to lead to a small weight gain that can take a person from overweight to obesity in less than three years.

"Every person in Bermuda needs to think about their weight and health and determine what they need to be doing at an individual personal level and at a societal level.

"At the societal level, organisations need to think about banning doughnuts and junk foods from the workplace, promoting the use of stairs instead of elevators, encouraging healthy foods at church functions or supporting the nutrition policy at your child's school.

"Bermuda is a small island and we could do great things to improve our health. Let us all work together and think of creative ways we can achieve a Well Bermuda and increase the number of people who are a healthy weight."

Mr. Scott stressed the test scores were indicators rather than diagnostic, and said anyone with unacceptable results would be sent to their doctor for further assessment.

Latest figures suggest Bermuda is the fourth fattest country in the world behind the US, Scotland and Mexico.

The Bermuda Health Survey revealed 23 percent of Islanders are obese and a further 38 percent overweight, while one in three youngsters aged five to ten is obese. A new health survey is planned, involving health examinations, which is expected to produce even more startling results.

The TCD idea, run by the Ministry of Health, Bermuda Diabetes Association and Bermuda Heart Foundation, was one of a number of suggestions from Jane DeVille-Almond, of the UK's National Obesity Forum, who flew into Bermuda for a series of urgent meetings with health professionals last month.

Betsy Baillie, Public Health Consultant for the Department of Health, who helped run the TCD project, said the data would be assessed with a view to repeating the initiative.

Were you tested at TCD? E-mail tsmith@ royalgazette.bm.