U.S. women worry more about weight than cancer: poll

Pedestrians walk across the street near Times Square in New York August 28 2007. American women are more concerned about losing weight than they are about suffering from cancer, heart disease or diabetes, a survey showed.

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - American women are more concerned about losing weight than they are about suffering from cancer, heart disease or diabetes, a survey showed.

More than half of the 3,000 women questioned in the poll by Meredith Corporation and NBC Universal were worried about diet and weight, compared to 23 percent who were concerned about cancer and 20 percent who were anxious about their cardiovascular health.

The women were asked to identify the health issues they were concerned about from a list of 20 problems.

The survey showed many women thought they should be slimmer, with more than 80 percent saying they were overweight.

But just 43 percent said they were exercising at least three times a week, and 11 percent played team and individual sports. And less than two-thirds of all women said they get an annual physical.

"These findings should be a wake-up call to American women everywhere to make their yearly checkups without fail and make their own personal health a top priority," said Diane Salvatore, editor in chief of Ladies' Home Journal, which is published by Meredith Corp.

While the majority of women said they were overweight, 68 percent said they were satisfied with their "identity and development as an individual".

But 40 percent said it was wrong for a man to tell a woman she was overweight.

To improve their health, 26 percent of women said they took natural herbs and supplements, while 25 percent bought or adopted a pet, according to the survey.

Four percent visited a spiritual or religious leader and one percent went to a hypnotist.

(Reporting by Megan Davies; editing by Patricia Reaney)