HHS HealthBeat (January 26, 2012)

Up to scale

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.

Parents: your child may have weight problems you don’t see. But it’s not just you. Pediatricians may not be telling parents what they need to hear. The national health survey NHANES asked parents if a doctor or health professional had ever told them their child was overweight.

Eliana Perrin is a pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“Most parents of overweight and obese children reported never having been told that their child was overweight.” (6 seconds)

Making better health choices is as easy as eating right, watching less TV and spending more time outdoors. 

The study is in the journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Dr. Perrin’s work is supported by a career grant from the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.

Last revised: January 26, 2012