Many Parents Don't Realize Child Is Obese

(January 29, 2010) - Many parents don't realize their child is overweight or obese. (Read about "Obesity") Half of the mothers who took part in a study thought that their obese four or five year-old was normal weight, as did 39 percent of the fathers. When it came to overweight children, 75 percent of mothers and 77 percent of fathers thought that their child was normal weight.

More than 800 parents of 439 children took part in the study. Five percent of the children were overweight, four percent were obese and the rest were normal weight.

The study also showed that:

• Mothers and fathers of overweight and obese children were significantly heavier than the parents of normal weight children.
• Parents were more aware of their own weight. 83 percent of the overweight mothers and 78 percent fathers realized that they were too heavy, as did 98 percent of the obese mothers and 96 percent of the obese fathers.
• Most of the parents did not worry about their child's weight, but the mothers of obese children were more likely to be concerned than the mothers of normal weight children (44 percent versus seven percent).
• Parents of overweight and obese children did not think their children were less active than others and 94 percent felt they could influence their child's food choices and eating habits.

Interestingly, parents of normal weight children tended to think their child was slimmer than their body mass index (Read about "BMI") indicated.

"It's estimated that 20 percent of children in the USA are overweight " says Pieter Sauer, the lead researcher. "However, public perception of what is a normal weight has shifted upwards because more people are overweight or obese.

"Overweight children are very likely to become overweight teenagers and adults, so intervening when they are aged between three and five could prevent weight problems later in life. It is vital that parents are aware of their children's weight if we are to prevent them becoming obese in later life. The fact that the parents in our study perceived their children to be lighter than their BMI indicated is cause for concern."