Poll: Many parents don't see child obese

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Many U.S. parents fail to recognize that their children are overweight or obese and, as a result, may not modify their children's diet and activity levels.

The National Poll on Children's Health, conducted by the University of Michigan's the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, found that more than 40 percent of parents with obese children describe their child as about the right weight and less than 10 percent of parents with obese children said they were very concerned about their child's weight.

Thirteen percent of parents with obese children ages 6 to 11 rate their child as being very overweight, the survey found. Less than 10 percent of parents with obese children ages 6 to 11 say they are very concerned about their child's weight.

Dr. Matthew M. Davis, director of the National Poll on Children's Health, said that parents may also underestimate their children's weight or over-estimate their children's height.

"In order to address childhood obesity at home, parents must first recognize that a child is not at a healthy weight for their height," Davis said in a statement.

The survey was administered to a random sample of 2,060 U.S. adults adults, who are a part of Knowledge Network's online KnowledgePanelSM.