Jamie Oliver seeks million signatures on obesity petition
British television chef is campaigning for every child to receive practical education about food.
"It's essential that we arm future generations with the life skills they urgently need in order to lead healthier, happier, more productive lives. I passionately believe this is every child's human right, and I hope you agree."
Although rates of childhood obesity have risen over the past several decades, a vast majority of parents misperceive their children as "about the right weight", according to new research led by New York University's Langone Medical Centre. Published online in the journal Childhood Obesity, the study analysed data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They studied nearly 7,000 children over two time periods, 1988-94 and 2007-12. The children in the second time period were significantly more overweight than the children in the first period.
Parents were asked whether they considered their children, aged two to five years, to be overweight, underweight, or just about the right weight. Nearly all parents of overweight boys from the first period perceived their sons as "about the right weight" (97 per cent), with a very similar result from the second period (95 per cent). About 88 per cent in the first period perceived their daughters as "about the right weight" and 93 per cent in the second period.