Many parents have misconceptions about the weight of their
children, and often can't identify when they are obese, a Murdoch
Childrens Research Institute study has found.
The study, which was published in the International Journal
of Pediatric Obesity, found there was no identifiable weight
above which parents will usually realise their child is
overweight.
The study of 4,983 preschoolers found that concern from parents
about their child's weight was 'only modestly' related to their
actual size, and was not triggered by any definable BMI
threshold.
Lead author of the study, Professor Melissa Wake said some
parents of overweight children were even concerned that their child
was underweight.
"We thought maybe it was just the cut-off point that public
health doctors have set, so we wondered if there was a definite
weight cut-off that parents would respond to. But we found there
was not," she said.
"There were lots of parents who were worried when they needn't
be, and many who should have been but were not. But generally the
concern about underweight was far stronger than it should have
been."
Melissa says the results of the study identify the need for
weight screening in child health checks to properly identify
overweight children.
"Populations measures might be needed to screen overweight
children, however such screening would only be useful when reliable
methods are developed to help weight-loss and ensure parents would
act on the information provided."