Weight status, current eating habits, and intention to change in West Virginia parents and adolescents

OBJECTIVE: Obesity is a major public health concern in the United States and West Virginia. This study assessed parent and adolescent eating habits, efforts to make dietary changes, and the relationship between these and weight status.

METHOD: Telephone interviews were administered to a stratified, random sample of 1500 parents and 420 adolescents. Questions included those regarding current diet, recent changes in diet, knowledge of obesity health risks, weight status perceptions, and self-reported height and weight.

RESULTS: Based on self-reported height and weight, 66% of parents and 31% of adolescents were classified as overweight or obese. Fifty-two percent of parents and 59% of adolescents reported improving their diets in the past month. This differed significantly by weight category in parents (p<.001). Despite these efforts, 89% of parents and 86% of adolescents reported eating less than the recommended daily amounts of fruits and vegetables. Parents' descriptions of child weight status significantly underestimated the number of children classified as overweight and obese by body mass index percentiles (p<.001). Eighteen percent of parents who described their child as overweight or obese were not concerned about child weight. Less than a third of parents correctly linked childhood obesity to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and asthma.

CONCLUSIONS: Although a majority of parents and adolescents reported efforts to improve their diets, both groups fell short of current guidelines. Parents underestimated their child's weight status and the potential dangers of childhood obesity. The importance of improvement in perceptions of obesity risk and severity is discussed.