Doting mums to blame for their kids being obese – as 90% DON’T think their tubby offspring are too fat
MOST parents of fat kids are in denial about how overweight their children are, a study found.
And many of the chubby youngsters wrongly think they are a healthy weight too.
Nine in ten mums and eight in ten dads described their overweight sons and daughters as “about the right weight”.
There was more awareness when children fell into the obese category, with 51 per cent of mums and 56 per cent of dads admitting their child was too heavy.
But 48 per cent of mums and 43 per cent of dads still thought their obese child was a healthy weight.
And they blamed doctors seeking a “quiet life” for not challenging fatties to shape up.
Only 26 per cent of overweight and obese children aged eight to 15 described themselves as too heavy.
Some 41 per cent thought they were about the right weight and 33 per cent were not sure.
The figures – from the 2015 Health Survey for England – are based on interviews with 5,714 children aged 15 and under, alongside 8,034 adults.
Doting mothers are only too willing to believe that their kids are not part of that fat crowd. But it's a belief that is misplaced
Tam Fry
In 2015, 28 per cent of children aged two to 15 were either overweight (14 per cent) or obese (14 per cent).
The report found 69 per cent children aged eight to 15 were not trying to change their weight and 24 per cent were trying to lose weight.
Some 60 per cent of obese children were trying to shed pounds as were 38 per cent of those who were overweight but not obese.
The new report reveals that most children are not doing enough exercise.
National guidelines say children aged five to 15 should be moderately active for at least an hour every day.
This could be something that gets them warmer, makes them breathe harder and their heart beat faster.
Outside of school activities, only 22 per cent are hitting this target, although it is up slightly on 2012.
Some 9 per cent of children aged two to 15 were also described as sedentary - such as watching TV - for six hours or more per day on weekdays.
The figure was 19 per cent on weekends.
Kids from wealthy families were less likely to be obese than those from poor families but typically did less exercise, suggesting they have a better diet.
Tam Fry, from the National Obesity Forum, said: “Sadly, the majority of parents’ perceptions of normal weight are long gone. And who can be surprised?
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“Doting mothers are only too willing to believe that their kids are not part of that fat crowd. But it's a belief that is misplaced.
“Tragically, health professionals often compound the problem by finding it uncomfortable to raise weight issues.
“Too many opt for the quiet life and fail to confront the parent with the bald truth.”
Gillian Prior, Head of Health, at the National Centre for Social Research, said: “It is possible that consistently high levels of childhood obesity in recent years have normalised an unhealthy weight.
“This should be of concern to parents and public health professionals alike.
“Obesity is linked to a number of health conditions in later life, such as diabetes and heart disease.
“Parents want to do the best for their children and the difficulty of recognising obesity in their own child could be putting them at risk.
“These findings emphasise the need for all families to be able to access a healthy diet, regardless of their income.”
Sarah Toule, from the World Cancer Research Fund, said: “This is extremely worrying, as an overweight child is more likely to be so as an adult putting them at higher risk of 11 common cancers.
“If everyone was a healthy weight in the UK, 25,000 cancer cases could be prevented each year.”