Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter


1

Parents Blind to Their Fat Kids

Only 13% recognize when their child is obese

Share

(Newser) – Nearly half the parents of severely overweight children ages 6 to 11 said their child was “about the right weight,” and only 13% recognized that their child had a severe problem, says a University of Michigan study. The results indicate parents think children will “grow out” of obesity or that something will change as they age, reports the AP.

With kids aged 12 to 17, parents were more aware—87% recognized when a child was overweight. But beneath the pudgy problem are significant health risks, say experts. "Obesity isn't just something that affects the clothes that you buy or how you are perceived by your friends," said the study’s lead researcher.

In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007, file photograph, trays of carrot and celery sticks with low-fat ranch dip, orange slices and beef hot dogs with whole wheat buns sit in the cafeteria at Columbus Elementary School in Lodi, N.J. New Jersey's health department is starting a new Office of...
In this Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007, file photograph, trays of carrot and celery sticks with low-fat ranch dip, orange slices and beef hot dogs with whole wheat buns sit in the cafeteria at Columbus Elementary...   (Associated Press)
Only 13% of parents of severely obese children recognize that their kid has a weight problem, according to a new study.
Only 13% of parents of severely obese children recognize that their kid has a weight problem, according to a new study.   (Shutter Stock)
Nettelhorst Elementary School student, Alexia Kollar, selects food from a salad bar during lunch in Chicago, Illinois. The lunch program is called 'Cool Foods,' part of the Healthy Schools Campaign.
Nettelhorst Elementary School student, Alexia Kollar, selects food from a salad bar during lunch in Chicago, Illinois. The lunch program is called 'Cool Foods,' part of the Healthy Schools Campaign.   (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
OFF THE GRID
11.24.09
Murdoch and Microsoft: The Mice Are Trying to Roar
11.23.09
Books Are Bad for You
1 comment
VIEWING:
 
cochiserocks
Aug 11, 09 6:45 PM CDT
"Nearly half the parents of severely overweight children ages 6 to 11 said their child was “about the right weight,”" - so it's really a question of eye testing being made more readily available to the parents of obese children Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
0
LEAVE A
COMMENT Comment Policy
Facebook ConnectPost this comment to Facebook?

After connecting you will have the option to post your comment on your Facebook profile.

 

Related Newser Stories

61 Stories

Home Daycare Turns Kids Into Couch Potatoes

Child-care centers do far better at restricting boob tube time

Nov 23, 09 5:35 PM CST
(Newser) - Children in home-based daycare watch far more TV than kids in formal child-care centers, with preschoolers averaging as much as 3.4 hours a day. The numbers in a new survey haven't changed much from stats recorded in previous years, which the researchers say they find "disconcerting, given the... More »

MORE ABOUT:
obesity • television • parenting • child care • childhood obesity • obesity epidemic • daycare • television watching • couch potato • preschool

 Fat America Won't Need Mittens 

Study finds overweight have naturally hot hands

Oct 14, 09 8:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - America’s ever-expanding waistlines may eventually render mittens obsolete, a new study suggests. Researchers for the NIH found that overweight people generate more heat than their lean peers, but don’t retain it any better. Instead, the heat exits from the hands and feet—so an overweight person’s extremities... More »

MORE ABOUT:
obesity • obesity epidemic • fat • temperature • glove • body temperature

 'Obese' 4-Month-Old 
 Denied Insurance 

Nursing infant outside norms for age; 'absurd,' cry parents

Oct 12, 09 2:04 PM CDT
(Newser) - A Colorado couple is baffled that their baby has been denied health insurance coverage because of a preexisting condition: obesity. “I could understand if we could control what he's eating,” says the boy’s father. “But he's 4 months old. He's breast-feeding. We can't put him on... More »

MORE ABOUT:
obesity • childhood obesity • obesity epidemic • baby • infant • breast feeding • health care reform • health insurance industry • policy • underwriting • Alex Lange

61 Stories


Lack of sleep may make children fatter
Associated Press

Chubby kids may face heart risks later
Associated Press


Science & Health  •  Arts & Living 
TwitterFollow @NewserScience on Twitter

 
obesity • health • childhood obesity • obesity epidemic • fat • children • obese • overweight • health study

from our news partners