I have met MANY parents who mistakingly believe that their kids are NOT overweight…when they are. Of course, I do believe in baby fat and that kids ‘grow out’ of certain stages. But, if you have a ten year old who is overweight…chances are, they will still be overweight into their teens and adulthood.

Are you one of those parents?

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Many Parents Misperceive Their Child’s Weight

Status, Study Finds

A new study suggests that more than 40 percent of parents with overweight and underweight children mistakenly believe their children are of average weight, United Press International reports. To gauge parental perception of weight, researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia analyzed data from a survey of more than 2,100 children and their parents. They found that 49 percent of parents of overweight children and 43 percent of parents of underweight children incorrectly identified their child as falling within an average weight range. More than 80 percent of parents with average-weight children, however, correctly identified their child as such. Only 1.4 percent of parents with an underweight child considered their child overweight, while 2.5 percent of parents with an overweight child correctly considered their child overweight. The researchers add that parents were more likely to assess their sons as underweight and their daughters as overweight. Noting that “parents are unlikely to take the necessary preven[tive] actions if the perception of their child’s weight…is incorrect,” the study’s lead author calls for efforts to communicate children’s weight status to their parents. She further points out that the study exposed a strong social bias toward thinness, cautioning that stakeholders must “make sure that the focus on reducing the number of overweight children does not have the adverse impact of increasing the number of underweight children” (UPI, 10/20/08; Medical News Today, 10/21/08).

 
Poor waist-t0-hip ratios is an unhealthy indicator

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