Leatherhead Matters

Germany weighs in as Europe’s fattest nation, and is on a par with the United States.

In 2007, the International Association for the Study of Obesity found that that 75.4 percent of  German men and 58.9 percent of  women were overweight. According to a new study by Germany’s Federal Research Institute for Food and Nutrition, the situation is a result of being clueless about food and calories, increasing laziness and, as Reuters notes,  drinking too much beer after eating sausages.

               Weekly Food Basket for German Family of Four

The National Audit Office (NAO) recently published their finding from a review of the Department of Work & Pension’s efforts to reduce benefit fraud. However, being just another Government Department poking their nose around other Departments, the NAO have to be careful not to upset their colleagues. Consequently the NAO cast their reports in wonderfully flat, non critical language. Extracts from the NAO Audit of the DWP are summarised below with translations for those not familiar with civil service-ese

The DWP has made good progress in tackling benefit fraud, which is estimated to have fallen from an estimated £2 billion in 2000-01 to £800 million in 2006-07, a substantial achievement by its staff, although definitional changes have helped. (Translation: The DWP have moved the goal posts so we really cannot compare one period with another!)

The DWP  has developed a series of initiatives to tackle benefit fraud. The National Audit Office examined six of the most important counter-fraud activities to examine their cost effectiveness. In total, in 2006-07, we estimate these specific initiatives cost the Department £154 million to operate and identified an estimated £106 million of benefits. (Translation: The DWP would have been better reverting to their normal state of inertia rather than tackling benefit fraud since, their initiatives cost the nation a net £48 million!)

A fascinating, picture story below of what families in different countries of the world eat in one week

I presume this only shows what families eat at home and it excludes the many takeaway and restaurant meals in a typical western diet. It certainly brings home why obesity has become an epidemic in the western world. Sorry I couldn’t find a UK family picture to add to the collection.

See the pictures at Maggie’s Farm

British and US researchers have found that happiness for people ranging from Albania to Zimbabwe follows a U-shaped curve where life begins cheerful before turning tough during middle age and then returning to the joys of youth in the golden years.

Previous studies have shown that psychological well-being remained flat throughout life but, the new findings to be published in the journal, Social Science & Medicine suggest we are in for a topsy-turvy emotional ride through our life time!

Read more in Middle-age is truly depressing