Parents' awareness of overweight in themselves and their children: cro
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《英国医生杂志》
1 Peninsula Medical School, University Medicine, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth PL6 8DH
Correspondence to: A N Jeffery alison.jeffery@pms.ac.uk
Introduction
Overweight goes largely unrecognised; parents are poor at identifying overweight in themselves and their children, and less likely to identify overweight in sons. The reasons for poor awareness might include denial, reluctance to admit a weight problem, or desensitisation to excess weight because being overweight has become normal. Obesity is now a problem across all social groups. Our data confirm recent findings indicating that the longstanding inverse relationship between social class and obesity has been lost, at least in the United Kingdom.5
Acknowledgment of excess weight and an understanding of its health consequences are essential first steps in tackling obesity. The layperson's perception of average weight, however, now conflicts with the clinical definition of normal weight, and a label of overweight from a health professional may be insufficient motivation for a change in lifestyle. The apparent lack of parental concern about their child being overweight probably stems from a lack of awareness. Until this is resolved, we are missing critical partners in our efforts to stem an impending health crisis.
What is already known on this topic
Obesity in British children is increasing—prevalence rose by 150% between 1984 and 1998
Lay definitions of ideal weight and overweight deviate from clinical definitions in adults
What this study adds
Many parents are unaware, and thus unconcerned, that their children are overweight
This article was posted on bmj.com on 26 November 2004: http://bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.38315.451539.F7
Contributors: AJ designed the study, collected the data, analysed the results, and wrote the paper. LV supervised the study design and edited drafts of the paper. BM and SA helped with data management and statistical analyses. TW helped with interpretation of the results and is director of the EarlyBird Study. TW is guarantor.
Funding: Diabetes UK, Smith's Charity, S&SW NHS Executive R&D, Child Growth Foundation, Beatrice Laing Foundation, Abbott, Astra Zeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Ipsen, Unilever, Diabetes Foundation, and EarlyBird Diabetes Trust.
Competing interests: None declared.
Ethical approval: Plymouth local research ethics committee of the South and West Devon Health Authority (1999).
References
National Audit Office. Tackling obesity in England. London: Stationery Office, 2001.
Bundred P, Kitchiner D, Buchan I. Prevalence of overweight and obese children between 1989 and 1998: population based series of cross sectional studies. BMJ 2001;10: 322-6.
Voss LD, Kirkby J, Metcalf BS, Jeffery AN, O'Riordan C, Murphy MJ, et al. Preventable factors in childhood that lead to insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus and the metabolic syndrome: the EarlyBird diabetes study 1. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab 2003;16: 1211-24.
Cole TJ, Freeman JV, Preece MA. Body mass index reference curves for the UK, 1990. Arch Dis Child 1995;73: 25-9.
Saxena S, Ambler G, Cole TJ, Majeed A. Ethnic group differences in overweight and obese children and young people in England: cross sectional survey. Arch Dis Child 2004;89: 30-6.(A N Jeffery, senior research nurse1, L D)
Correspondence to: A N Jeffery alison.jeffery@pms.ac.uk
Introduction
Overweight goes largely unrecognised; parents are poor at identifying overweight in themselves and their children, and less likely to identify overweight in sons. The reasons for poor awareness might include denial, reluctance to admit a weight problem, or desensitisation to excess weight because being overweight has become normal. Obesity is now a problem across all social groups. Our data confirm recent findings indicating that the longstanding inverse relationship between social class and obesity has been lost, at least in the United Kingdom.5
Acknowledgment of excess weight and an understanding of its health consequences are essential first steps in tackling obesity. The layperson's perception of average weight, however, now conflicts with the clinical definition of normal weight, and a label of overweight from a health professional may be insufficient motivation for a change in lifestyle. The apparent lack of parental concern about their child being overweight probably stems from a lack of awareness. Until this is resolved, we are missing critical partners in our efforts to stem an impending health crisis.
What is already known on this topic
Obesity in British children is increasing—prevalence rose by 150% between 1984 and 1998
Lay definitions of ideal weight and overweight deviate from clinical definitions in adults
What this study adds
Many parents are unaware, and thus unconcerned, that their children are overweight
This article was posted on bmj.com on 26 November 2004: http://bmj.com/cgi/doi/10.1136/bmj.38315.451539.F7
Contributors: AJ designed the study, collected the data, analysed the results, and wrote the paper. LV supervised the study design and edited drafts of the paper. BM and SA helped with data management and statistical analyses. TW helped with interpretation of the results and is director of the EarlyBird Study. TW is guarantor.
Funding: Diabetes UK, Smith's Charity, S&SW NHS Executive R&D, Child Growth Foundation, Beatrice Laing Foundation, Abbott, Astra Zeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Ipsen, Unilever, Diabetes Foundation, and EarlyBird Diabetes Trust.
Competing interests: None declared.
Ethical approval: Plymouth local research ethics committee of the South and West Devon Health Authority (1999).
References
National Audit Office. Tackling obesity in England. London: Stationery Office, 2001.
Bundred P, Kitchiner D, Buchan I. Prevalence of overweight and obese children between 1989 and 1998: population based series of cross sectional studies. BMJ 2001;10: 322-6.
Voss LD, Kirkby J, Metcalf BS, Jeffery AN, O'Riordan C, Murphy MJ, et al. Preventable factors in childhood that lead to insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus and the metabolic syndrome: the EarlyBird diabetes study 1. J Pediatr Endocrinol Metab 2003;16: 1211-24.
Cole TJ, Freeman JV, Preece MA. Body mass index reference curves for the UK, 1990. Arch Dis Child 1995;73: 25-9.
Saxena S, Ambler G, Cole TJ, Majeed A. Ethnic group differences in overweight and obese children and young people in England: cross sectional survey. Arch Dis Child 2004;89: 30-6.(A N Jeffery, senior research nurse1, L D)