A new study shows that most parents are usually in denial about their child’s weight.

While no current statistics exist on the level of child obesity in Nigeria, most people are aware that there are a lot of overweight children in the country.

Quite frankly, Nigeria is a country where being fat, is seen as a sign of good living.

So Nigerian parents stuff their children with so much food, because they believe that a plump looking child signifies that they are doing a good job.

If other people call their child overweight, they get offended, because in their eyes they don’t see anything wrong with their child’s size.

A new study shows that most parents are usually in denial about their child’s weight.

About half of parents with overweight or obese children don’t think their kids are too heavy. This report comes after a team of researchers reviewed 69 studies involving almost 16,000 children, ages 2 to 18.

(RELATED: Children Are Unlikely To Outgrow Baby Fat)

The findings outlined below is published in the March issue of Pediatrics, hold true in the U.S. and around the world. The researchers observed that,

•  51% of parents with overweight or obese children thought their kids were a normal weight.
• About 14% of parents with normal-weight kids considered their child underweight.
• Parents of kids ages 2 to 5 were more likely to underestimate the weight of heavy children than parents of heavy kids in primary school or older. “As kids get older, parents realize it’s not just baby fat any more, and the kids are not going to grow out of it.”
• Parents were less accurate in judging the size of their sons, thinking that normal weight boys were actually underweight. “There is a belief that boys are supposed to be big, strong and muscular, so normal-weight sons are sometimes perceived as too small.”

Alyssa Lundahl, a graduate student in the clinical psychology program at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln and the lead author of the study says that,

“Parents who underestimate their kids’ weight may not take action to encourage healthy behaviors that would improve their child’s weight and reduce their risk of future health conditions.”

For parents who are worried that their child might be overweight, Exercise physiologist Melinda Sothern, co-author of Trim Kids and a professor at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, offers these suggestions:

• When children are thirsty, give them water, not high-sugar beverages such as soft drinks.
• For snacks, provide healthy fruits like bananas, oranges, pineapple, mangoes etc.
• Encourage your child to consume food and drinks only at the kitchen or dining room table or other designated areas in the home.
• Have children eat a healthy breakfast.
• Reduce eating fast food to less than once a week.
• When shopping for food, have the children select one fruit and vegetable to try each week and skip the candy, biscuits and soft drinks.
• Provide opportunities for young children to safely climb, run and jump to encourage the development of muscular strength and endurance.
• Let your children try a variety of activities such as sports, ballet, taekwando or swimming in a safe and encouraging environment.
• Limit watching of TV to less than two hours a day.