Obesity report: Parents underestimate their child’s weight
National data on childhood obesity found that 35 percent of U.S. children ages 6 to 17 are obese or overweight.
In contrast, almost 40 percent of parents say their child’s weight is “just the right weight” when actually it’s overweight.
This report from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health also found that only 13 percent of parents with obese children ages 6 to 11 rate their child as being very overweight, compared with 31 percent of parents with obese children ages 12 to 17.
And this perception of the parents may actually be contributing to the growing problem of obesity in children.
“It is critical to address obesity in the childhood years - at home, and in schools and other community settings,” says Matthew M. Davis, M.D., M.A.P.P., director of the National Poll on Children’s Health. “But in order to address childhood obesity at home, parents must first recognize that a child is not at a healthy weight for their height. Parents also must be concerned enough to want to do something about their children’s obesity.”
On the other hand, measurement of obesity is based on body mass index (BMI). When a child’s BMI is at or higher than the 95th percentile for children who are the same age and gender, the child is obese. For example, a 6-year-old boy who is average height (3′91/2”) would be considered obese if he weighs 55 lbs. or more.
Click here to calculate your child’s (or your) body mass index. If you suspect that your child may be overweight (or underweight as well, for that matter), consulting your pediatrician may be a very good start to your child’s healthier life.
[source: kidsgrowth]
Tags: children, health, obesity, childhood, perception, body mass index. BMI
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POSTED IN: Children's Health, Diseases and Medical Conditions, Healthy Development
2 opinions for Obesity report: Parents underestimate their child’s weight
Children news » Blog Archive » Obesity report: Parents underestimate their child’s weight
Dec 26, 2007 at 6:27 am
[…] Read entire post at Kids Health Notes […]
www.theweightlossbook.info » Obesity report: Parents underestimate their child’s weight
Jan 14, 2008 at 12:42 am
[…] Grace placed an observative post today on Obesity report: Parents underestimate their childâs weight.Here’s a quick excerpt:“It is critical to address obesity in the childhood years - at home, and in schools and other community settings,” says Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, director of the National Poll on Children’s Health. “But in order to address childhood … […]
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