Poll: Parents Less Likely to Recognize Children as Obese

A poll conducted by National Public Radio (NPR), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) shows a large a gap between parents’ perceptions of their children’s weight and expert definitions. According to their parents, 15 percent of children are a little or very overweight, while national data suggest more than twice as many, or 32 percent of all children, are overweight or obese. In addition, only 20 percent of children in households that participated in this poll had a parent who was concerned that his or her child will be overweight as an adult. However, it is estimated that 69 percent of adults are overweight, including 36 percent who are obese and an additional 6 percent who have “extreme obesity.” Together, these results indicate that parents may underestimate their children’s current risk for being overweight or obese, and how that risk could continue to impact them as adults.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Childhood Obesity Weekly Policy Update