Many American Parents Think Their Obese Children are Really ‘Healthy’: Study

Parents of overweight children fail to accept childhood obesity as a serious health condition, finds a new study.

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, found many parents assume their chubby children are actually healthy and are unaware of the negative repercussions of remaining physically inactive and eating unhealthy food. Their study asserts parents play a key role in educating children to inculcate healthy eating and exercising habits to ward off diseases and illnesses.

The experts used survey data of 202 parents of obese children who were aged about 14 on average to note their attitudes on weight gain, intake of fatty food and daily physical activity. Around 75 of the subjects were girls and over 94 percent of all children were categorized as obese. It was observed 31.4 percent of the parents  thought their children were in excellent condition and 28 percent underestimated excessive weight as a serious health concern.

Almost 61.4 percent of the surveyed parents reported monitoring eating habits by limiting junk food consumption and 41.1 percent said they encouraged children to take part in sports, dancing and walking. In addition, the study noticed parents who sought advice and consultation from nutrition experts were more likely to take charge of their children's diet. This trend was uniform among participants from different education, ethnic and economic backgrounds.

Sedentary habits like spending too much time in front of the television, computer and video games are common among children from disadvantaged communities and families. The authors are unsure why many parents trivialize the importance of exercising regularly and remaining physically fit.

"Parents have a hard time changing their child's dietary and physical activity behaviors. Our study tells us what factors may be associated with a parent's motivation to help their child become more healthy," said Kyung Rhee, study author and assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, in a news release.

More information is available online in the journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.