A new study finds some obese adults think their weight is ideal, even healthy.
New obesity research from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center finds 8-percent of people have misperceptions about their body size. Nearly one in ten think they fall into a "normal" weight category rather than an "overweight" category.
They also believed they were healthy even though 35-percent had high blood pressure, 15-percent had high cholesterol and nearly 30-percent smoked.
Those who misperceived their body size were less likely to go to the doctor. 44-percent hadn't seen a physician in the past year.
Obese African-American and Hispanic adults were more likely than whites to be satisfied with their body image.
Obese people who were satisfied with their body size didn't exercise, while obese individuals who recognized they had a weight problem exercised regularly, on average.
Researchers presented their findings at the American Heart Association's annual meeting in Orlando, Florida.
