Life

More than fifty percent of the gypsy population is obese as a consequence of the fact that gypsies link obesity with a "greater power", according to research carried out by a biologist of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) that warns about the risks and health problems of the obesogenic culture of this ethnic population.

Esther Rebato, a well-known figure in the field of Physical Anthropology, has carried out research into nutritional habits, life quality and other associated aspects of 50 Romani families and more than 380 individuals and found out that this ethnic population suffers from a high rate of obesity. If the rate in the general population is 15-20 %, in the Romani population it exceeds 50 %.

The research has also unveiled that obesity among gypsies happens in men as well as in women and it is central or abdominal obesity. "In men, in particular, it is very dangerous because it is a type of obesity linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc.", she points out.

According to Rebato, there is a “culture of obesity” that accounts for this phenomenon. "When the populations that have not had much power access food, power is displayed in more potbellied, chubbier children… Furthermore, there is a conception that men like well-built women; this seems to be a fertility symbol".