One in every four obese or overweight teenagers is not aware of the status of his or her health and even considers it is just about right, according to new study conducted in the United Kingdom.

Researchers at Cancer Research UK surveyed 5,000 teenagers, between 13 and 15 years old, about their weight. They also asked the participants whether they think they are too light, too heavy or just about right.

The researchers then compared the answers of the teenagers to their body mass index (BMI) readings to check if their perceptions matched the reality of their weight.

The findings showed that 73 percent of the participants had a BMI rating within the average-weight range, while 20 percent of them fell under the category of overweight. About seven percent of the teenagers had a BMI within the obese weight range.

Out of the total number of obese or overweight participants surveyed, about 40 percent considered their weight normal, while only 0.4 percent said that their weight is too light.

"Overweight teenagers are more likely to become overweight adults at higher risk of cancer," the Cancer Research UK's head of health information Dr. Julie Sharp said.

"So it's important that young people who are too heavy have support to be more active and make healthy changes to their diet - being aware that they are above a healthy weight could be a first step."

Being obese or overweight increases the likelihood of an individual to develop up to 10 various forms of cancer, such as cancers of the bowel and the breast. According to latest estimates, about 18,000 cases of cancer in the United Kingdom are linked to excess weight.

The results also revealed that eight in 10 average-weight participants were able to identify that their weight was just about right. Around seven percent of them said that they were too heavy, while 10 percent felt that their weight was too light, with female participants were more likely to think that they were too heavy than the males.

Jane Wardle, a researcher at Cancer Research UK, explained that the study's findings were a cause of both concern and celebration for people. While many teenagers can often develop eating disorders as a consequence of thinking that they were too heavy, the study showed that most of the average-weight participants were aware of the reality of their weight.

Wardle, however, cautioned that overweight teenagers need help in slimming down and maintaining a healthy weight average. She said that it is important to determine if it is beneficial to let young people know about the status of their weight.

The Cancer Research UK is published in the International Journal of Obesity.

Photo: Tony Alter | Flickr