The money you have in your pocket could affect your jeans size, according to a study carried out by Huddersfield academics.

Research carried out at the University has published its findings after examining the link between people’s social class and their weight.

Prof Paul Bissell, who is Dean of the School of Human and Health Sciences, claims there has been a shift in the richest members of society being the most overweight, to the poorest.

The academic headed research along with other professors, in which they carried out a series of in-depth interviews with 45 people in South Yorkshire, where around 72% of the population is considered overweight or obese.

Prof Paul Bissell, Dean of the University of Huddersfield's Human and Health Sciences department

The participants were all people falling into the category of clinically obese and financially deprived.

Prof Bissell said the culture of “fat-shaming” has exacerbated the issue, with overweight people feeling “laughed at” and “mocked” and eating more as a comfort mechanism.

He said: “There is now much more fat shaming, stigma and hatred around obesity. If you ally that with social class, then it is people who are poor and obese who can be publically laughed at.

“Many of our participants experience extremely high levels of shame and humiliation because they are obese. And one of the things they do to manage their unhappiness is to eat more.”

He added: “It is tougher for poorer people to cope with the stigma of obesity and indeed cope with losing weight, because of their material circumstances and the fact that they have got less cultural capital.”

Researchers also claimed that obesity is linked to neo-liberal economic policies, which they allege have led to greater inequality and welfare cuts.

Prof Bissell added: “If we did something about the social gradient in income and wealth, we would also be able to do something meaningful about the social gradient in obesity.”