Overweight kids do not think they weigh too much

Obesity is a public health epidemic that impacts both adults and children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed, as published in JAMA Pediatrics, that one out of every three children in the U.S. is considered overweight or obese. According to findings from Arizona State University, Hispanics in the U.S. have high obesity rates, with an estimated 55 percent qualifying to fit in that category. But a new study has some interesting findings surrounding how children perceive their weight.

Conducted by the CDC, the new study found that heavy and obese children did not view themselves as such -- they saw themselves as having a normal weight. This "misperception" was more commonly found in African America and Mexican-American children (34 percent) than their Caucasian peers (28 percent). Other findings from the study, include: roughly 50 percent of obese boys and more than 33 percent of obese girls believed they were at a normal rate and most children with misperceived weight status' hailed from lower-income families.

Recently, a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examining weight gain amongst students of different racial and ethnic backgrounds over the summer made a revealing finding: Hispanic children are more likely to put on weight during vacation than their peers of other races.

Source: Published originally on LatinoTimes.com as Latino Childhood Obesity: Overweight Kids Do Not Think They Weigh Too Much, Study Finds, By Susmita Baral, Jul 25 2014.