Goldilocks Syndrome Definition: Overweight, Obese Preschool Children Just The Right Size For Most Parents

Many parents of overweight children apparently believe that their son or daughter's weight is "just right." They continue to hold this perception even as the kids gain more pounds, according to a new study conducted by the NYU Langone Medical Center. The experts call this the "Goldilocks syndrome," with parents becoming more and more unmindful of their children's weight problems.

Tracking over 7,000 children in America for a five-year research, the data was taken from kids between the ages of 2 and 5. Their parents were also surveyed and asked if they perceive their children to be underweight, normal weight or overweight. The research was conducted in two separate groups from 1988 to 1994 and from 2007 to 2012, according to Philly.Com.  

The first group had 97 percent of parents who think their son is of the right weight, while 95 percent believe the same among the parents in the second group. Of the girls, 88 percent of the parents in the first group believe that their daughter is of the right weight, while 93 percent in the second group have the same perception.

The study presentation had, in fact, more overweight children in the second group, which led the experts to become concerned due to the small number of differences. The "declining tendency of parents to fail to acknowledge that the weight problem can have huge implications," said Dustin Duncan, one of the authors of the study, in a report published on Today.

"It shows that essentially we're more obese as a society and we're not recognizing our obesity as a society, in this case in children," he said in the report. "Obesity is a well-known medical condition associated with immediate and long-term health risks for children. This is an alarming finding."

Duncan said that part of the reason why parents don't see the weight problem is because they tend to compare their own child with other children instead of consulting a doctor for the proper assessment using growth charts. "People are judging their child based on friends and neighbors, who are likely to also be overweight and obese," explained Duncan.

The study also revealed that low-income parents and those in the black communities tend to deny the problem. "We need effective strategies to encourage [health care provider] discussions with parents about appropriate weight for their child. This will be critical for childhood weight management and obesity prevention," said Dr. Jian Zhang who is also an author in the research.

The study was published in Childhood Obesity journal.