Overweight Teens in Denial
One of every three overweight teens doesn’t recognize it
In a new study of more than 65,000 high school students, nearly a third of kids who could be medically classified as overweight said they thought they were actually underweight or “about right.”
Even though the prevalence of overweight kids has more than doubled in the last 30 years, many kids today don’t see it, researchers found.
Nicholas M. Edwards, MD, MPH, the principal investigator on the study from Cincinnati Children’s, says doctors need to help kids perceive their weight accurately so they can take steps to be healthy.
