CANBERRA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Australians appeared to be the world's biggest worriers when it came to weight and how it affects their sex lives, a global survey revealed on Monday.

    A majority of Australians have tried to lose weight at least once - unsurprisingly women more than men - and about 40 percent of them feel constant pressure to be thin.

    The revelations are part of a large-scale survey conducted by Readers Digest that took in the thoughts of some 6,000 people from16 countries around the world.

    A hefty 52 percent said excess weight "seriously impacted" their sex lives - more than any other country except Mexico, which came in equal first with Australia.

    There was also a fear that being fat could affect their performance at work.

    On a global scale, Australians were among the biggest dieters, the survey showed.

    Eighty-one percent of women have tried to shift the kilos at least once, as well as 63 percent of men - ranking Australia fourth among the 16 countries surveyed.

    Finland, the U.S. and the Netherlands were the only countries to rank higher.