Study finds parents underestimate their child's weight

Parents of overweight or obese children think their children are at a normal, healthy weight, according to studies, CBS News reports.

Half of parents with overweight children thought their child was underweight or normal, researchers found when looking at 69 studies of more than 15,000 children. 

Alyssa Lundahl, researcher who led the study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said that parents need to recognize their children are overweight otherwise they won't take steps to address it.

"Previous research has found that when parents' perceptions are corrected, they do start to take action and encourage their children to become more active and maybe turn off the TV and go outside and play," Lundahl said. 

According to Lundahl, parents can check their child's weight by talking to the child's pediatrician about the normal weight-to-height range.

Read the full story here: "Half of parents of overweight children don't think they have weight issues: Study"