What, my child overweight? Recognizing obesity when it hits close to home.

Most parents are very aware of the childhood obesity epidemic, but are they aware of whether their own child might be overweight, or even obese?

According to a new report by the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health, more than 40 percent of parents with obese children ages 6 to 11 describe their child not as obese, but as "about the right weight." In fact, less than 10 percent of parents with obese children say they are "very concerned" about their child's weight.

Researchers say that this could create a very large problem. If parents fail to recognize that their children are overweight or obese, they may be less inclined to modify their children's diet and activity levels to improve their health.

These findings echo the results of a Consumer Reports June 2007 phone survey that found only 4 percent of parents surveyed described their children as being 20 percent or more above their ideal weight or obese. Yet Consumer Reports found that 19 percent of the children fell into that category, based on the body mass index (BMI) we calculated with their reported weight, height and sex. And while 21 percent of respondents described their children as being at least slightly overweight, Consumer Reports estimates that number at 36 percent of those surveyed.

The overweight children differed from ideal-weight children on a number of key lifestyle measures. According to Consumer Reports' survey, overweight kids were more likely to:

·    Eat fewer than four vegetables a day.
·    Drink three or more sweetened beverages a day.
·    Eat breakfast and lunch in school.
·    Eat dinner outside the home.
·    Have takeout food, fast food, and packaged or frozen dinners several times a week.
·    Ask their parents to buy foods or go to restaurants they see on TV.
·    Spend significantly more time playing video games and less time in other play, exercise, or doing sports.
·    Have parents with their own weight issues.

Here are 4 ways to keep your child at a healthy weight.