Parental Misperception of Their Child's Body Weight Status Impedes the Assessment of the Child's Lifestyle Behaviors (original) (raw)
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PLoS ONE, 2014
This study reported on correlates of parental perception of their child's weight status. Associations between parental misperception (i.e., underestimation of the child's weight) and parental intention to improve their child's overweight-related health behaviors and their child meeting guidelines regarding these behaviors were also investigated. Baseline data from the population-based 'Be active, eat right study' were used. The population for analysis consisted of 630 overweight and 153 obese five year-old children and their parents. Questionnaires were used to measure parental perception of the child's weight status, correlates of misperception (i.e., child age, child gender, child BMI, parental age, parental gender, parental country of birth, parental educational level and parental weight status), overweight-related health behaviors (i.e., child playing outside, having breakfast, drinking sweet beverages, and watching TV), and parental intention to improve these behaviors. Height and weight were measured using standardized protocols. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. In total, 44.40% of the parents misperceived their child's weight status. Parental misperception was associated with lower child BMI, the parent being the father, a foreign parental country of birth, and a lower parental education level (p<0.05). Parental misperception was not associated with parental intention to improve child overweight-related health behavior, nor with child meeting the guidelines of these behaviors. This study showed that almost half of the parents with an overweight or obese child misperceived their child's weight status. A correct parental perception may be a small stepping-stone in improving the health of overweight and obese children.
International journal of obesity (2005), 2008
Obesity prevention in childhood is important. However, changing children's lifestyle behaviors to reduce overweight is a substantial challenge. Accurately perceiving oneself as overweight/obese has been linked to greater motivation to change lifestyle behaviors. Children and adolescents may be less likely to perceive themselves as overweight/obese if they are exposed to overweight/obese people in their immediate environments. This study examined whether youth who are exposed to overweight parents and schoolmates were more likely to misperceive their own weight status. The Quebec Child and Adolescent Health and Social Survey was a provincially representative, school-based survey of children and adolescents conducted between January and May 1999. 3665 children and adolescents (age 9, n=1267; age 13, n=1186; age 16, n=1212) from 178 schools. Mean body mass index (BMI) was 17.5, 20.6 and 22.2 kg/m(2), respectively. The misperception score was calculated as the standardized differenc...
Parental misperception of child’s weight and related factors within family norms
Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, 2017
Purpose Parental perception of their child's weight may be a crucial factor in parental ability for action with regard to their child's weight problem. This aim of this study was to investigate parental perception of their child's weight status and dietary healthiness, amount of food consumed and physical activity level and its related factors. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among children (Grades 4-6) selected by cluster sampling in two schools. Children were invited to participate in the measurements of anthropometry and their parents were asked to classify their child's weight and health behaviors. Results In total, 41.8% of parents misperceived their child's weight, of which 82% underestimated their child's weight, in particular regarding overweight or obesity. As parents of overweight or obese children underestimated their child's weight, around 65% were not concerned with their child's current weight and about becoming overweight in the future. Factor associated with underestimation of overweight children was not having a sibling, while among children with normal weight, the underestimation was associated with boys, lower body mass index (BMI), maternal employment and low household income. Furthermore, parents underestimating their child's weight were more likely to be optimistic about their child's dietary healthiness, food amount taken, and physical activity level than those with correct child's weight estimates. Conclusions Findings show a high proportion of parental misperception of their child's weight status. Family-based weight control interventions will need to incorporate parental misperceptions of the body weight and health behaviors of their children.
Asia Pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 2008
Worldwide the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children is escalating. Parents' recognition of overweight or obesity in their own children is very important for a successful intervention in these children. This study examined parental perception of their children's weight status, and its association with their knowledge on nutrition and obesity. This was a cross sectional study of parents with children aged 9 to 12 years, in a primary school of Kuala Lumpur. Parents responded to a self-administered questionnaire which contains parental perception of their child weight status as well as knowledge on nutrition and obesity. The parents' perception of the children's weight status was then compared with the actual measured weight status. There were 204 parents who participated in the study. Parents were found to underestimate their child weight status and 38.2% were inaccurate in their perception. The mean score of knowledge on nutrition and obesity was 78.5+/-14.4...
Children
The aim of the present review was to explore the effect of parental misperceptions of their offspring’s weight status during childhood and early adolescence on weight control strategies and children’s eating behavior. Literature searching was limited to the PubMed database and to the English language from January 2000 to August 2022. Eligible studies had clearly associated parental misperception of offspring’s weight with child eating habits or weight management and eating strategies in childhood to early adolescence. Sixteen studies (14 cross-sectional, 1 longitudinal and 1 with cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses) were included in the analysis. Weight loss attempts and child’s eating behavior were the main outcomes. Sixteen studies found significant associations. Parental misperceptions of their offspring’s weight status do influence their child’s weight and eating behavior, especially in overweight children. Parents tend to follow potentially harmful methods when they overe...
SUN-LB029: Parental Perception of their Children’s Weight Status
Clinical Nutrition, 2015
Background and aims: In Portugal the knowledge about the factors that can lead the progenitor's to misclassify their offspring's weight status is scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the parental perception of weight status of their offsprings and related factors as well as analyze the parent's attitudes towards the relation between weight and health. Methods: Data was collected from 568 school children aged 6 to 18 years in the city of Chaves. Weight and height of all the children were measured. A questionnaire was delivered for the parents to complete about their child's weight status and perception, health beliefs, eating habits, exercise habits, family anthropometric information (self-reported). Information from 424 mothers and 398 fathers was retrieved. The CDC growth charts were used to classify the children's BMI percentile. Results: It was verified that 33.2% of the parents classified their child's weight status incorrectly. The major factors related with the misclassification were the presence of overweight in the mothers (OR: 4.08 95%
BMJ Open, 2016
The majority of mothers do not correctly identify their child's weight status. The reasons for the misperception are not well understood. This study's objective was to describe maternal perceptions of their child's body mass index (BMI) and maternal report of weight concerns raised by a health professional. Design: Prospective, community-based cohort. Participants: Data were collected in 2010 from 450 mothers previously included in a longitudinal birth cohort. Mothers of children aged 6-8 years reported their child's anthropometric measures and were surveyed concerning their opinion about their child's weight. They were also asked if a healthcare provider raised any concerns regarding their child's body weight. Child BMI was categorised according to the WHO Growth Charts adapted for Canada. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses were used to evaluate mothers' ability to correctly identify their children's body habitus. Results: 74% of children had a healthy BMI, 10% were underweight, 9% were overweight and 7% were obese. 80%, 89% and 62% of mothers with underweight, overweight and obese children, respectively, believed that their child was at the right weight. The proportion of mothers who recalled a health professional raising concerns about their child being underweight, overweight, and obese was low (12.5%). Conclusions: The majority of mothers with children at unhealthy weights misclassified and normalised their child's weight status, and they did not recall a health professional raising concerns regarding their child's weight. The highest rates of child body weight misclassification occurred in overweight children. This suggests that there are missed opportunities for healthcare professionals to improve knowledge exchange and early interventions to assist parents to recognise and support healthy weights for their children.
Predictors of maternal misclassifications of their offspring's weight status: a longitudinal study
International Journal of Obesity, 2008
Background: Very little is known about the factors influencing parental misclassifications of a child's weight status. The aim of this study is to examine the predictors of maternal misclassifications of their adolescent offspring's weight status. Methods: A mother-child linked analysis was carried out using 14-year follow-up data from a population-based prospective birth cohort of 2650 children (52% males) who were participants in the Mater-University Study of Pregnancy in Brisbane (Australia) in 1981. Offspring's observed height and weight and maternal perception of offspring weight were reported when they were 14 years old and predictors were prospectively recorded either at first clinical visit of mothers or at 5 or 14 years follow-up. Maternal misclassifications were defined combining observed body mass index (BMI) categories and maternal perceptions of their offspring's weight status. Results: We found that maternal misclassification of child's weight status was common and included misclassifications both to higher and lower weight categories. Forty percent of mothers of overweight children misclassified their child as normal or underweight, more so in males than females. Fifteen percent of mothers of normal weight children misclassified their child as underweight, again more so in males than females. The main independent predictors of maternal misclassifications of child weight status were gender, child dissatisfaction with appearance, shape, size and weight, dieting to lose weight, general health status, maternal BMI and family meals. Gender, child dissatisfaction, dieting and maternal overweight were especially associated with misclassifications of overweight children. Conclusions: This study identified a number of maternal, child and family factors associated with maternal misclassifications of child weight status. Although relevant for clinical practice, further study is needed, however, to evaluate the benefits and harms of promoting increasing parental and child awareness of the child's weight status at a population level.
Parental perception of overweight and underweight in children and adolescents
Acta Paediatrica, 2011
To compare the parental perception of overweight and underweight in their children to objective criteria, based on body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and triceps skinfold thickness, and to explore the effects of potential determinants. Logistic regression of anthropometric measurements, socio-demographic characteristics and self-reported parental height and weight on the parental perception of their child's weight status in 3770 children aged 2-19. Seventy per cent of overweight/obese children and 40.8% of underweight children were perceived having normal weight by parents. In 2- to 5-year-old overweight children, 91.2% were considered to have normal weight. For a given BMI, primary school age children, adolescents and girls had a higher probability to be assigned as overweight, whereas adolescents and girls had a lower probability to be assigned as underweight. Overweight parents more readily assigned their children as underweight, but there was no effect of parental educational level or parental underweight. Parental ability to recognize overweight or underweight in their offspring was generally poor. The findings emphasize the need for objective criteria based on physical measurements in the routine follow up of children, as parental ability to recognize weight problems in their children is nonreliable.