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More than a third of parents admit they do not talk to their children about their weight because of fears it could harm self-esteem and trigger eating disorders, according to research.
The figure rises to 65% among parents who have already identified their child as being overweight, suggesting that by avoiding the problem families are contributing to an increasingly obese society, a health group warns.
The survey was conducted by the social enterprise Mend and the online community Netmums for national childhood obesity week. More than 1,000 parents with a child aged 5-16 responded to the survey on Netmums about how they felt bringing up the topic of weight with their child.
It found that 37% said they feared that talking to their child about their weight might lower their self-esteem, 42% of parents had attempted to talk about the issue, and almost half of parents who had an overweight or obese child said it was an unhelpful experience for the family.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jul/02/parents-children-weight-talk-survey
The figure rises to 65% among parents who have already identified their child as being overweight, suggesting that by avoiding the problem families are contributing to an increasingly obese society, a health group warns.
The survey was conducted by the social enterprise Mend and the online community Netmums for national childhood obesity week. More than 1,000 parents with a child aged 5-16 responded to the survey on Netmums about how they felt bringing up the topic of weight with their child.
It found that 37% said they feared that talking to their child about their weight might lower their self-esteem, 42% of parents had attempted to talk about the issue, and almost half of parents who had an overweight or obese child said it was an unhelpful experience for the family.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jul/02/parents-children-weight-talk-survey