One in eight British parents fail to recognise child health issues, study finds

Adults blame busy lifestyles for failure to ensure healthy lifestyle for families

Childhood obesity remains a concern for many families (Getty)

One in eight British parents admit they wouldn’t be able to recognise if one of their children was unhealthy or overweight, according to research.

A poll of 2,000 mums and dads found half said a lack of time makes a healthy lifestyle almost impossible for their family – and one in five pointed the finger at their own careers and jobs and the lack of time left to keep an eye on kids’ lifestyles.

Almost one third felt the price of good food and meals was affecting their ability to feed their children healthy food.

It is then unsurprising that 34 per cent of admitted they doubt they are good role models for their children – and lack vital knowledge when it comes to nutrition.

But a healthy, wholesome lifestyle is not exclusive to children’s home lives – and shockingly, one fifth of parents said their child’s school does not teach them anything related to health education – such as nutrition, diet or exercise.

From this figure, a further three in ten said one of the reasons their children’s school does not teach them health education is they don’t even see this tuition as a priority.

But 21 percent of those who took part in the Premier Wellbeing study confessed they were concerned their child’s school doesn’t provide them adequate, essential information staying active and healthy.

The latest alarming figures from the Government's National Child Measurement Programme revealed that almost a quarter of reception children were overweight - including obese. In year six, it was over a third.

Olympic gold medallist, Premier Wellbeing supporter and mother-of-three, Sally Gunnell OBE, is shocked by the figures - and urges families need more support if future generations are to stay fit and healthy.

She said: “These are truly worrying statistics. Parents lead very busy lives, but we are facing a child obesity epidemic, so it’s vital that we do all we can to give our kids the best start in life.

"A positive approach to healthy living starts in the home, but there’s plenty the wider community, including schools, can do to support parents and ensure a joined up approach to family wellbeing."

SWNS