Environmental Nutrition

Most people realize that the world is in the middle of an obesity epidemic -- an estimated 300 million adults worldwide are overweight, putting themselves at risk for a slew of diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. But growing evidence indicates that many people don't want to face the facts about their personal obesity crisis. For decades, scientists have documented that people inaccurately perceive their own weight status. But in the past, women typically viewed themselves as being heavier than their bathroom scales indicated. Today, the tables have turned.

In a November 2010 study published in the International Journal of Obesity, data from the 2003 to 2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for nearly 17,000 U.S. adults was analyzed by researchers from the University of North Carolina. They found that a large proportion of overweight individuals (23 percent of women and 48 percent of men) perceived themselves as having the right weight. In addition, 74 percent of overweight and 29 percent of obese individuals never received a diagnosis of overweight or obesity by a health care professional. This is significant, because among overweight and obese adults, those with a professional diagnosis of overweight/obesity were more likely to diet and exercise than those who remained undiagnosed.

And in a study published in the British Medical Journal in 2008, heavier people in the U.K. were less likely to think that they were overweight in 2007 than in 1999. Scientists suggest a couple of reasons for this mismatch between self-perceived and actual weight. People may be pressured into thinking they are thinner than they are due to the greater stigma surrounding obesity. In contrast, changing societal norms in which overweight is considered more common or "normal" may actually increase the threshold at which people consider themselves as overweight.

The weight misperceptions don't stop with adults; of particular concern is parents' perception of their children's weight. Seventy percent of overweight/obese children were perceived as having normal weight by parents, according to a Norwegian study of 3,770 children aged 2-19 years old published in the February 2011 Acta Paediatrica. Such misperceptions can give rise to serious health concerns. University of Michigan scientists reported in a March 2010 article in the Journal of Pediatric Endicrinology and Metabolism that accurate parental perception of their children's overweight status was linked with greater understanding of diabetes risk for their children, which could be an important factor in diabetes prevention.

The lesson to be learned: if you or your child's weight falls above normal body mass index (BMI; to calculate your BMI, see www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/) face the facts and consult a health care professional to create a diet and exercise plan that will help reduce the risk of developing chronic diseases.

Available at Amazon.com:

Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder

No More Digestive Problems

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