A startling number of parents may be in denial about their kids’ weight, according to a recent survey.

According to the Associated Press, the survey found that many Americans whose children are obese do not see them that way.

Obese children run the risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol problems and other ailments more commonly found in adults, and overweight children are likely to grow up to be overweight adults, AP says.

“It suggests to me that parents of younger kids believe that their children will grow out of their obesity, or something will change at older ages,” said Dr. Matthew M. Davis, a University of Michigan professor of pediatrics and internal medicine who led the study who led the study.

Among parents with an obese, or extremely overweight, child ages 6 to 11, 43 percent said their child was “about the right weight,” 37 percent responded “slightly overweight,” and 13 percent said “very overweight.” Others said “slightly underweight,” AP reported.

Parents with an obese child ages 12 to 17 were more aware there was a problem, said the survey. Fifty-six percent said their child was “slightly overweight,” 31 percent responded “very overweight,” 11 percent said “about the right weight” and others said “slightly underweight,” said AP.

The survey of 2,060 adults collected height and weight measurements on the children from their parents, then used that to calculate body mass index.  When a child’s BMI was higher than the 95th percentile for children who are the same age and gender, the child was considered obese.

Based on what the parents reported, 15 percent of the children ages 6 to 11, and 10 percent of the children ages 12 to 17, were obese, AP said.

The researchers said the results suggest parents underestimate their children’s weight. National estimates indicate about 17 percent of U.S. children are obese under the standard used by the researchers.

Dr. Reginald Washington, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics and part of the AAP’s committee on childhood obesity, said that in about half of cases where a child is obese, one or both parents are overweight as well.

Experts said doctors need to help parents better understand the health risks of childhood obesity, AP said.