AP32730

Parents Fail To Recognize Their Child Being Overweight

In recent years, excessive weight gain is the most serious long-term health risk of the middle childhood period. The process of determining if a child’s weight gain is appropriate, health-care professionals use a measure called BMI-for-age, a variation on the body mass index for adults (Boyd, pg. 219). In a study led by the San Diego School of Medicine, it suggests that parents of obese children often don’t recognize the potential health consequences of obesity. Based on a survey of 202 parents, whose children were enrolled in an obesity clinic, the survey “explored parents’ willingness to take steps to improve their child's eating habits and physical activity.” From these tests, 31.4% of parents perceived their child's health as excellent or very good and 28% didn’t perceive their child's weight as a health concern (University of California). Childhood obesity rates in the U.S. alone have tripled during the past 30 years and still more than half of parents don’t recognize that their child is overweight. UNL graduate student Alyssa Lundahl and Timothy Nelson, an assistant professor of psychology, also conducted a study in seeking an answer on whether parents realize their children are overweight. Lundahl combined and analyzed data from 69 studies conducted worldwide between 1990 and 2012, involving children 2 to 18 years of age. "Parents who underestimate their child's weight may not encourage healthy eating and physical activities that can optimize their child's health and reduce their risk of obesity,” said Lundahl. Lundahl and Nelson found that more than 50 percent of parents underestimated the weight of their overweight or obese child. “Surprisingly, no matter where you are and no matter what the rate of obesity is in that area, parents are still continuing to underestimate the weight of their overweight children” (University of Nebraska-Lincoln).

References: University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (2014, February 4). 'Not my child:' Most parents fail to recognize if their child is overweight. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 21, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140204102100.htm

University of California, San Diego Health Sciences. (2014, July 21). Parents rank their obese children as 'very healthy'. ScienceDaily. Retrieved July 21, 2014 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/07/140721142129.htm

Boyd, D., & Bee, H. (2012). Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood. //Lifespan Development// (Second custom edition for St. Johns River State College ed.,). Upper Saddie River: Prentice Hall.

Only graders edit below this line!

Grader #1: 1406432269 Grader #2: 1406649688] Grader #3: 1406736948 Grader #4: 1406770607 Grader #5: 1406845309] =Grading Form= media type="custom" key="25032734"