According to a new study by the Center for Disease Control Prevention, a large percentage of overweight children, especially minorities, do not see themselves as overweight.

The study, titled "Perception of Weight Status in U.S. Children and Adolescents Aged 8-15 Years, 2005-2012," examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and was released Wendesday.

According to the study, about 30 percent of children in the age group "misperceive their weight status." The percentage is higher among boys (32.3 percent) than among girls (28.0 percent). In addition, about 81 percent of boys who are overweight think they are an appropriate weight, and 71 percent of overweight girls think the same.

"It could be they look like other people in the family who don't perceive themselves as overweight," Vicki Burt, the CDC researcher, told Associated Press.

"As our country gets heavier, children don't necessarily see it as abnormal," Dr. Daniel Neides, medical director for the Wellness Institute at the Cleveland Clinic who was not involved in the study, suggested in an interview with TIME.

Minority children were found to have higher rates of weight misperception. Thirty-four percent of Mexican-American children misperceived their heaviness, compared to 34.4 percent of black children and 27.7 percent of white children.

"[The study] is a true snapshot of what the U.S. population thinks their weight status is," Kendrin Sonneville, a Harvard researcher not involved in the study, told AP.

In addition, 48 percent of obese boys and 36 percent of obese girls were found to think they are an appropriate weight.

Misperception was more common among children of lower-income families.

There is some disagreement over whether or not misperception of weight is an issue.

"Children who don't have a correct perception of their weight don't take steps to lose weight," Neda Sarafrazi, an author of the report, told NPR.

"On the surface, many people assume weight misperception is a bad thing, but it remains to be seen if it is harmful or helpful," Sonneville told AP.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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