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More Overweight Kids Wearing Adult Sizes

November 28, 2005

Childhood Obesity • Pressure to Look Attractive Linked to Fear of Rejection • Researchers Suggest Fast Food Ad Ban to Attack Obesity • Green Neighborhoods May Reduce Childhood Obesity • CSPI Raps Nickelodeon Food Ads • Most Kids' Meals Exceed Suggested Daily Intake • Safeway, Warner Bros. Promote Healthful Kids' Food • Childhood Obesity Holding Steady, Study Finds • Doctor Offers Antidote To 'Super-Size Me' Diet • Spanish Language TV Linked To Latino Child Obesity • States Get Poor Grades on School Food • More Sleep Time May Cut Child Obesity • Kellogg Pledges Food Marketing Changes • Consumer Group Scolds Nickelodeon • CSPI: School Food Plan Should be Law of the Land • TV Food Ads Make Obese Kids Hungrier • Study Finds Food is Most-Advertised Kids Product • Senate Eyes Stricter School Lunch Standards • More Teens Having Weight Loss Surgery • Sedentary Teens More Likely to Have Higher Blood Pressure • Poll: Obesity Top Health Issue for Kids • Pediatricians Want Stricter Controls on Junk Food Ads • Brits Take Action on Junk Food Ads Aimed at Kids --- • More ...

With nearly one-third of all children in the U.S. considered overweight, finding clothing that fits has become a challenge for overweight kids.

According to a new report from The NPD Group, mothers of overweight children reported 31 percent of their nine to twelve-year-old boys and 38 percent of girls in this age group are already wearing men’s, women’s or junior-size apparel.

The overweight nine- to twelve-year-old boy and girl appear to be stuck between youth sizing that is too small and adult sizing that is larger, but not proportional.

According to the report, 74 percent of overweight boys and 84 percent of overweight girls in the nine to twelve-year-old age group are "sizing up" to buy sizes other than those typically made for children their age.

NPD found that pants are the hardest clothing item to buy for overweight children. Moving up to adult sizes often means jeans fit too long for boys and are ill-proportioned in the hips, waist or legs for girls.

What Are Mothers Saying?

According to the report, overweight boys are twice as likely to wear men’s-sized apparel, compared with total boys ages nine to twelve. One mother said she has a difficult time finding "clothes like some of his friends" when shopping for her ten-year-old son.

"When kids have to size up to men’s and women’s sizes it can be challenging to find clothes that are age-appropriate," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst, The NPD Group.

Over eight in ten mothers of overweight girls ages nine to twelve said "the choice of clothing styles that fit my daughter is limited;" almost as many (79%) agreed that "I can’t find the stylish clothes my child wants in sizes that fit." One mother stated "clothing is too risqué" for her 12-year-old daughter.

Mothers’ Misperceive Children’s Weight

Although the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates 30 percent of children in the U.S. are technically overweight based on height and weight calculations of Body Mass Index (BMI), only 13 percent of moms say they consider their kids overweight.

When calculations were done based on the child’s height and weight, the number of overweight kids is much closer to the CDC estimates -- a whopping 34 percent.

"While plus-size women and big and tall men are willing to shop at separate stores or special sizing racks, mothers don’t want to shop that way for their children, especially if they see their child as ‘average’ when it comes to size," said Cohen. "More importantly, they will want the same styles and brands that they see other moms shopping for, so their children can fit in with their peers."

"Kids, like adults, often have special size needs. Moving into bigger sizes is only part of the solution. The challenge for retailers and brands will be to recognize that there are significant differences in communicating and connecting with adults and children’s special size needs. If retailers address this issue then capturing just a small percentage of this group will generate some significant growth in revenue," said Cohen.

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