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A study from Finland found that parents misclassify their overweight children as normal weight.

• Researchers from the University of Tampere asked parents of five-year-olds and 11-year-olds to fill out questionnaires about the weight class of their children.
  
• A majority of the parents of five-year-olds and half the parents of 11-year-old misclassified their overweight children as normal.
  
• Very few parents of normal weight children believed their children were overweight.

This study appeared in the journal Acta Paediatrica.

Labels: perceptions

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Popular children are more likely to be average weight or thin, according to a new study from the University of Crete in Greece. Children in the study also were more likely to attribute positive characteristics to children of normal size, and negative qualities to overweight children.

• Researchers asked 414 children ages five to ten years old to look at pictures of three figures that varied only by size.
  
• The children tended to attribute positive qualities, such as athletic and artistic ability, to average weight and thin figures, and negative qualities to overweight children.
  
• All the children were asked to make a list of three children to invite to a party, and three that should not be invited.
  
• The popular children were more likely to have average or thin builds.

When asked to identify their own body size, 75 percent of overweight children placed themselves in the average weight category. Thin or average weight children overwhelmingly identified themselves correctly.

"This study highlights the need for early preventative educational programs, which address the high levels of anti-fat bias and social stigmatization of overweight or obese children and challenge the negative stereotypes involved," said lead author Dr. Eketerina Kornilaki.

This study was presented at the British Psychological Society's annual conference.

Labels: perceptions

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Doctors are not diagnosing children as obese or overweight, according to a new study of children's doctors' visits. Without a proper diagnosis, an overweight child misses out on interventions that could help him or her become healthy.

"This is a bit of a wake-up call to pediatricians that as many as 90% of overweight children are not being properly diagnosed," said Dr. David Kaelber, a medical professor at Case Western University and lead author of the study.

Dr. Kaelber examined the Body Mass Index measurements of over 60,000 children 2 to 18 years old from well-child check-ups during the years 1999-2007. About 19% of the children were overweight, but only 10% received that diagnosis. Of the 23% who were obese, only 54% were diagnosed that way. Over 75% of the severely obese children received a proper diagnosis.

Dr. Kaelber was concerned with children in the overweight category. "Better identification of this group of children who have just crossed into the 'unhealthy' weight category is essential for early intervention which will hopefully prevent not only a childhood of increased health problems, but also what now often becomes an ongoing battle through adulthood with lifelong issues," he said.

This study appears in the journal Pediatrics.

Labels: perceptions, pediatricians

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A Canadian study of teenagers and children found that overweight young people perceive themselves as normal if they are surrounded by overweight friends and family.

"The higher the body mass indices (BMIs) of friends and family, the more kids were likely to underestimate their weights - a trend consistent for both sexes, regardless of the socio-economic status of their families," according to Dr. Katerina Maximova of McGill University.

Researchers examined the BMIs of 3,665 children ages 9 to 16. About 14% were overweight, and 9% were obese. However, less than 2% thought they were too heavy. Dr. Maximova said the misconceptions were linked to having overweight friends and family members.

This study appears in the Journal of Obesity.

Labels: perceptions, body_image, denial

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