Parents are in Denial About Child Obesity

Child obesity has long been a recognized problem in the US, but new research shows that over half the parents who have obese children in the U.S. deny that their child is overweight.

The study, conducted by University of Nebraska researchers, collected data from 69 previously published scientific articles addressing child obesity. The collected data was then analyzed as a sample of the U.S. parent population. The researchers concluded that 50.7 percent of parents underestimate their overweight/obese child's weight.

What does this mean for the children? Conclusions released with the study implied that in some part, there is room for the child's pediatrician to take greater control over the child's  weight health. The researcher write that if a significant number of parents are going to be in denial of their child's health,  then it is up to the doctor to convey how unhealthy letting the situation persist can be for the child.

"Pediatricians are well positioned to make efforts to remedy parental underestimates and promote adoption of healthy habits," the researchers write in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

If nothing is done and a child is left to maintain an unhealthy weight, there may be some serious consequences including the development of sleep patina, joint problems, and type 2 diabetes, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Interestingly, the data also revealed that even the parents of normal-weight children often underestimate their child's weight, with nearly 15% of these parents thinking their child was under-weight.

A parent's love for their child is something never to be taken lightly, but this new evidence may indicated that in some small way, love does truly make us blind.

The published study can be read in full at Pediatrics.