Most parents cant tell if their children are obese

Research carried out an Indian origin scientist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine suggests that parents of obese children suffer from weight blindness till the kids get to the very extreme levels of obesity. The findings of the study which were published in the British Journal of General Practice also pointed out that Black parents or those of south Asian origin or from deprived backgrounds were more likely to underestimate their child’s weight. More so in case of a male child.

“If parents are unable to accurately classify their own child’s weight, they may not be willing or motivated to enact the changes to the child’s environment that promote healthy weight maintenance,” said senior author Dr. Sanjay Kinra, reader in clinical epidemiology at the aforementioned institution.

The team led by Dr Kinra sent out questionnaires to parents of 2,976 children in five different health regions of the UK and based their observation on the basis of information thus collected.

The parents taking part in the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) were asked to identify their children as underweight, healthy weight, overweight or very overweight (obese).

Almost 33% of the parents (915 respondents) underestimated their child’s BMI, till their child was weighed by the government for the NCMP study. Out of the 369 children identified by the NCMP as obese, parents of only four of them described them accurately, the rest of them failing to see that their kids were overweight.

Russell Viner, co-author of the study and professor from UCL’s institute of child health said, “Measures that decrease the gap between parental perceptions of child weight status and obesity scales used by medical professionals may now be needed in order to help parents better understand the health risks associated with overweight and increase uptake of healthier lifestyles”

Parents who are unable to assess their own child’s weight may not be as willing or motivated enough to make changes to eating habits and lifestyle required to bring the child’s weight down to healthier levels, say experts.

According to estimates, almost 25% of the children in Scotland are either overweight or obese. It therefore becomes imperative to make the parents of kids perceive the potential health risks associated with the weight of their offspring.