Obese willing to shed weight... if they were paid to do so  

Many overweight people would be willing to shed the pounds if the government offered them a financial incentive to do so, a study has found.
Carried out by economist Kurt Degiorgio among 971 participants, the study showed that if the government had to offer people a financial incentive to lose the extra kilos, many would be interested.
Of those surveyed, Degiorgio found that half were intrigued by the idea of receiving €25 from the government for every kilo they lost. Most said such an incentive would help motivate them to tackle their problem although less than 10% of them admitted to only being interested because of the financial aspect.
While some said they were unsure of the idea (around 40% of respondents), only 10 % outright dismissed the concept. These respondents said they would never participate in such a scheme because they believed free access to sports facilities, personal training and nutritional advice would be more effective.
Those unsure whether they would take part pointed to lack of time, motivation and the belief they did not need to lose weight as reasons for their decision.

Over a quarter of the Maltese population is obese, the highest rate in Europe. A...