OBJECTIVE: This study examined parents' understanding of excess weight as a health risk, knowledge of healthy eating habits, and recognition of obesity in their children. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: An anonymous questionnaire was distributed during well-care visits involving children 4 to 8 years of age at a pediatric faculty practice. Parents indicated their level of concern about excess weight and other familiar health risks using a four-point Likert scale, answered multiple-choice questions concerning healthy eating patterns, and communicated their perceptions about their child's weight using a visual analog scale. A parent's perception was considered "accurate" if it deviated from the child's growth chart percentile by <30 points. RESULTS: Of the 83 parents surveyed, 23% (19/83) had overweight children (> or = 95th percentile of age- and gender-specific BMI growth charts). These parents did not differ from other parents in their level of concern about excess weight as a health risk or in their knowledge of healthy eating patterns, but the two groups of parents did differ in the accuracy of their perceptions about their children's weight. Only 10.5% of parents of overweight children (2/19) perceived their child's weight accurately compared with 59.4% of other parents (38/64; p < 0.001). Parents of overweight children invariably underestimated their children's weight. The median difference between their perception and the growth chart percentile was -45 points. DISCUSSION: Given that most parents of overweight children fail to recognize that their child has a weight problem, pediatricians should develop strategies to help these parents correct their misperceptions.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined parents' understanding of excess weight as a health risk, knowledge of healthy eating habits, and recognition of obesity in their children. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: An anonymous questionnaire was distributed during well-care visits involving children 4 to 8 years of age at a pediatric faculty practice. Parents indicated their level of concern about excess weight and other familiar health risks using a four-point Likert scale, answered multiple-choice questions concerning healthy eating patterns, and communicated their perceptions about their child's weight using a visual analog scale. A parent's perception was considered "accurate" if it deviated from the child's growth chart percentile by <30 points. RESULTS: Of the 83 parents surveyed, 23% (19/83) had overweight children (> or = 95th percentile of age- and gender-specific BMI growth charts). These parents did not differ from other parents in their level of concern about excess weight as a health risk or in their knowledge of healthy eating patterns, but the two groups of parents did differ in the accuracy of their perceptions about their children's weight. Only 10.5% of parents of overweight children (2/19) perceived their child's weight accurately compared with 59.4% of other parents (38/64; p < 0.001). Parents of overweight children invariably underestimated their children's weight. The median difference between their perception and the growth chart percentile was -45 points. DISCUSSION: Given that most parents of overweight children fail to recognize that their child has a weight problem, pediatricians should develop strategies to help these parents correct their misperceptions.
Authors: Melawhy L Garcia; Noe C Crespo; Alma I Behar; Gregory A Talavera; Nadia Campbell; Lisa M Shadron; John P Elder Journal: Child Obes Date: 2019-09-26 Impact factor: 2.992
Authors: Margaret E O'Neil; Patricia A Shewokis; Kathleen K Falkenstein; Cynthia W DeLago; Sinclair A Smith; Nicole A Vaughn; Tracy E Costigan Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring) Date: 2010-01-07 Impact factor: 5.002
Authors: Lisa Harnack; Leslie Lytle; John H Himes; Mary Story; Gretchen Taylor; Don Bishop Journal: Prev Chronic Dis Date: 2009-03-16 Impact factor: 2.830