According to Meizi He, lead author of the study, published in the current issue of Paediatrics & Child Health, the official journal of the Canadian Paediatric Society, “a number of parents are not aware of their child’s weight problems,” reports Postmedia News.
In the first study of its kind in this country, a survey was conducted among 860 pediatricians and family physicians in Canada from 2005 to 2006.
Over 60 per cent of doctors surveyed identified key barriers to curbing obesity in children: parents who are overweight themselves, parents who become defensive when the topic of their child’s weight is raised, and parents who show little interest in helping their child lose weight.
Moreover, these physicians noted that they lacked training, resources, and time to deal with this growing problem. According to Statistics Canada, 17 per cent of children in Canada are overweight; nine per cent are obese. The proportion of teenage boys classified as overweight or obese has more than doubled since 1981, climbing from 14 per cent, to 31 per cent in 2009. Among teenage girls, it increased from 14 per cent to 25 per cent.
The study concluded that there was a need for more family-based interventions, greater access to government-funded dietitians and community fitness programs. The doctors also called for enhanced training in medical school on treating childhood obesity and more continuing medical education.