Parental Recognition of Overweight and Obesity in their Children Found to be Low

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Parental Recognition of Overweight and Obesity in their Children Found to be Low

1 July 2005

A study of 277 children and their families in the UK published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ. 2005 January 1; 330(7481): 23–24) found that almost 20% (52/177) were overweight or obese. Only a quarter of the parents recognized overweight in their child, and even in those children who were classified as obese, 1/3 of mothers and just over ½ of the fathers described their child’s weight as ‘about right’.

More than half of the parents of obese children expressed some degree of concern about their child's weight, but only a quarter were even “a little worried” if their child was overweight. Most parents (86%) who were unaware that their child was overweight were also unconcerned about their child's weight. One in ten parents expressed some concern about underweight in normal weight children.

Maternal weight status did not affect mothers' awareness of their children's weight, but there was a statistically significant difference in the perceptions of normal and overweight fathers, with more normal weight father recognizing overweight in their children than overweight fathers.

More than half of the parents of obese children expressed some degree of concern about their child's weight, but only a quarter of parents indicated they were “a little worried” if their child was overweight. Most parents, who were unaware that their child was overweight, were also unconcerned about their child's weight. One in ten parents expressed some concern about underweight in normal weight children.

The researchers summarised their findings as - overweight was largely unrecognised; and parents were poor at identifying overweight in themselves and their children. Possible reasons suggested for poor awareness included denial, reluctance to admit a weight problem, or de-sensitisation to excess weight because being overweight has become normal. The authors conclude that this lack of recognition amongst parents may represent a serious impediment to intervention.