Journalist Michael Buerk caused a storm recently by calling fat people ‘weak, not ill’, while also saying that obesity should not be classified as a disease.Meanwhile, body positivity is a phenomenon that has swept the world.  People are being encouraged to feel comfortable in their bodies, no matter their size.

But while all this is going on, obesity levels in Ireland are at record highs.Is the body positivity movement helping enable people to be overweight?  Or are we starting to understand that obesity is a disease, and maybe some people will always be overweight? Donal O’Shea is the HSE’s Clinical Lead for Obesity and  Rhian Thompson, who is a plus sized model and Dundalk’s ‘Queen of Curves’ join Ivan to discuss their thoughts.