SEVEN out of 10 people who had weight loss surgery in Scotland over the past five years were women, according to latest figures.
During that period more than 881 people underwent bariatric procedures, 653 of them women.
The largest number of procedures in 2013 was carried out by the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, where 45 women and eight men had weight-loss surgery.
In Ayrshire and Arran, 29 women and nine men this year have had bariatric surgery, which includes gastric bypasses and gastric bands, while in Lothian it was 29 women and eight men, according to figures obtained by the Liberal Democrats. Health spokesman Jim Hume said national levels of obesity were similar between men and women and called for more to be done to tackle poor body image among women.
He said: "It is concerning that the distribution of these more drastic types of weight loss surgery do not reflect the real picture of obesity in Scotland."
Scottish LibDem MP Jo Swinson said: "If Scotland is to get a grip on its obesity crisis it must be done in a healthy and sustainable way, which doesn't create further body confidence issues in our society."
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