Many parents are in denial that their children are obese, according to a new study.</p> <p>Researchers from the University of Michigan found that 43 percent of parents with obese or overweight children may be in denial about their weight.

Detroit - Many parents are in denial that their children are obese, according to a new study.

Researchers from the University of Michigan found that 43 percent of parents with obese or overweight children may be in denial about their weight.

Out of over 2,000 adults surveyed, 56% of parents with children 12-17 said their kids were only “slightly” overweight. By comparison, only 13 percent of parents with obese kids ages 6 to 11 recognize them as being obese or overweight.

“When we first started talking about obesity as a problem, it was very hard to be heard,” says Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern.

“Now the pendulum has swung too far the other way - we hear nothing but. And the net result is that the kind of moralising the obese and overweight have always suffered has somehow become institutionalised.”

Obesity in children is often linked to medical conditions including diabetes, cholesterol problems, high blood pressure and other serious issues.

Researchers say that in about half of the household with an obese child, at least one of the parents are also obese.