Child Obesity Missed By Parents

A study confirms that parents do not easily recognize if their children are obese or not.

16:54 30 March 2015

A recent survey that was published in the British Journal of General Practice has found that parents hardly recognize obesity in their children that results in damaging consequences for health. The study was participated by 2,976 families in the UK and only four parents thought that their child was very overweight. Medical assessment put the figure at 369. 

 

Prof Russell Viner, from the Institute of Child Health, told the BBC News website: "Modern parents don't recognise children as obese.

 

"If parents don't recognise a child is obese then they're very unlikely to do anything to help their child move to a more healthy weight.

 

"Then it's a potential major public health crisis being stored up."

 

"We need to find some tool to educate parents, when their child is born, what they should expect a child's size to be and not to be afraid of talking to parents over fears they, or the child, will react badly.” 

Commenting on the findings, the chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, Shirley Cramer, said: "School education from a young age should focus on the importance of active lifestyles and healthy diets to ensure our society is one that understands the relationship between diet and good health.

 

"Parents are key role models for their children and it is imperative they are aware of all the factors that can influence health.

 

"However, it is not just the role of the parents, society as a whole needs to help enforce messages about eating well.