You know when overweight people say they’re “just big boned,” or that they “have a glandular problem,” or that “it’s just baby fat,” all while munching on a double bacon cheeseburger, extra fries? Well, it might not be “just baby fat” when it comes to your overweight kid, say docs. It could be you overfeeding your child and being totally in denial about their imminent health issues.

Says Daily Mail,

Seven in ten parents of overweight children are in denial about the problem, researchers have warned.

Many underestimate the risk, dismissing dangerous levels of plumpness as ‘puppy fat’, the study found.

Dr Angela Jones weighed and measured more than 600 children aged between six and eight.

She then asked the parents how they perceived their son or daughter’s weight, giving them a choice of five responses – ‘very underweight’, ‘underweight’, ‘normal’, ‘ overweight’ and ‘very overweight’.

Almost 70 per cent of those with overweight or obese children described their son or daughter’s weight as normal.

The researchers from Newcastle University said that if the rising tide of obesity is to be halted parents must recognise the difference between a healthy weight and being overweight.

Up to a third of British youngsters are too heavy for their height, raising their risk of cancer, heart disease and diabetes in later life.

Experts have warned that the young generation could be the first to die at a younger age than their parents. Dr Jones told the European Congress on Obesity in Amsterdam: ‘Childhood overweight and obesity is a global public health concern with significant implications for immediate and long-term health.’

She said parents play a key role in children’s ‘food intake and physical activity’.

Parental recognition of childhood obesity is ‘fundamental to its prevention’, she added.

So, now that you know that – do you think maybe your child might have a problem, or is it still just baby fat?