An obesity expert has warned that elevator capacities are not keeping up with the increasing average weight of passengers, raising concerns about the safety and inclusion of people with obesity.
According to a study, the weight estimates used to determine the maximum number of people who can fit in an elevator are now outdated. In the UK, the average weight of men has increased from 75 kilograms in the 1970s to 86 kilograms today, while the average weight of women has increased from 65 to 73 kilograms.
Professor Nick Finer, president of the International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organisation, photographed 112 lifts in different European countries. He found that the average weight assumed for lift users had increased significantly between 1972 and 2004, but had since remained at 75 kilograms per person, despite the average weight of the population being around 79 kilograms.
"It became a kind of obsession for me, but there's a serious issue behind it. If we don't recognize the increasing trends in obesity and body size, we're making it very difficult for these people to function normally in society," said Prof. Finer.
He explained that elevator manufacturers seem to be calculating capacity based more on the floor space people take up than on weight alone. However, he said, these calculations are often based on the assumption that a person's body shape is oval, not circular.
"They haven't taken into account that, if obesity is increasing, then the space a person takes up is also increasing," he added.
Prof. Finer warned that this trend risks stigmatizing people living with obesity. He stressed that he is not an elevator engineer, but he is aware of cases where people have been trapped in elevators after exceeding the total weight limit, even though the number of passengers was lower than the recommended maximum.
Presenting his findings at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey, he said society must adapt to new body realities.
"Unfortunately, we have to increase the size of many things in everyday life. In hospitals, for example, many doors are not wide enough for wheelchairs designed for people living with obesity. These are real safety issues," he said.
According to the professor, society as a whole is lagging behind long-term trends related to the increase in overweight and obesity.
Jane DeVille-Almond, president of the British Obesity Society, also said it is time to accept that society is unlikely to return to the body sizes of 50 years ago.
"We need to start developing environments and services adapted to the 21st century," she said. /GazetaExpress/
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