health: Parents of Overweight Kids Failing to Recognize Problem

Parents of Overweight Kids Failing to Recognize Problem

Childhood obesity is on the rise, but parents’ ability to discern whether their children are overweight is not keeping pace. Parents of overweight and obese youngsters are increasingly identifying their children as “about the right weight,” a problem because they are then less likely to take steps to foster healthy behaviors in their kids. The issue is compounded by the fact that many overweight and obese children underestimate their weight problems and are therefore less likely to push themselves to get healthy. More… Discuss

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Obesity Weighs Heavily on World

The burden of obesity has grown considerably in recent decades, with about 30 percent of the global population—a whopping 2.1 billion people—now overweight or obese. Over the past 33 years, obesity rates soared 28 percent in adults and 47 percent in children, and the number of overweight and obese people more than doubled. For now, the US retains the unenviable distinction of hosting the largest portion of the world’s obese—13 percent. Though obesity was once limited to rich nations, more than two-thirds of the world’s obese now live in developing countries. In the Middle East and North Africa, more than half of adult men and nearly two-thirds of adult women are overweight or obese. More… Discuss