Study: NYC Parents Can't Tell If Their Kids Are Fat

Last month, the Department of Health released a study showing that 40% of the city's public school children are overweight or obese. But a new study is showing that either their parents aren't taking their kids to the doctor enough, or they have no idea what an obese person looks like. And thus the old battle over whether negligent or stupid parents are worse rages on.

The study shows that just 18% of parents of 6- to 12-year-olds believe their kids are overweight, and only 13% said a health care provider confirmed that. However, the 40% rate hasn't changed for the past two years. The study also says that eight in ten children whose parents reported that a medical provider said they were overweight were also perceived as overweight by their parents, compared with only one in ten children without the confirmation from a medical provider. Dr. Lynn Silver, assistant commissioner for Chronic Disease Control and Prevention emphasized the importance of regular visits to the doctor, saying, “Each doctor visit presents an opportunity for an open, honest dialogue about a child’s weight and how to stay healthy." If only it was as easy as knowing whether your pet is overweight!

One third of the children of parents surveyed also may not get enough exercise, as parents say they watch TV or play video games three to four hours a day, and 11% of students didn't even get a full hour of exercise or play outside of school in the past week. So now parents have to force their kids to play. This would never happen if every kid had a fun Tiger friend.

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By Jaya Saxena in News on October 5, 2010 12:50 PM

Comments [rss]

John L

Whatever happened to "baby fat"?

Most kids end up growing up and the losing weight on their own. Teaching kids to eat healthier and encouraging them to get more exercise is one thing but obsessing over your kid's weight at 6-12 years old is a little ridiculous. Once they hit 14 and 15 you can try to encourage them a little more but the kid might perceive that negatively and do more harm than good, the last thing an overweight teen needs is a parent on their case about losing weight.

Cook healthy food for them, teach them about nutrition, and involve them in as many physical activities as possible and let them be.

Dogsbody

I don't think anyone should be obsessing over kid's weight, necessarily, but I think the idea of "baby fat" is largely a myth.

I lived in a fairly small town with a pretty static population (i.e. not much immigration/emmigration) from birth to the age of 20+, so I've kind of been able to observe the same peer group grow up at the same time as me.

In the vast majority of cases, the kids who were fat kids grew up to be fat adults. The slim kids generally grew into slim adults, or put on weight and became fat once the realities of a sedentary adulthood set in. I can't really think of anyone who made the opposite journey - from being a fat kid to a slim adult - and certainly not simply as a result of losing "baby fat".