Factors associated with parent's failure to perceive that their child is overweight or obese

Introduction

Although childhood obesity has received growing attention, parents still fail to recognize overweight and obesity in their children. Accurate identification of their child's weight status is associated with the parent's responsiveness to interventions aimed at preventing weight-related health issues. Studies have shown that age and gender are associated with parental misperception of their child's weight status, but little is known about the interaction of these factors across various stages of youth.

Methods

A random-digit-dial survey collected data from 1708 households in five low-income cities with large minority populations. The 592 children whose parents completed the survey and returned a worksheet of parent-measured heights and weights are included in the analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to examine associations between parent, child, and household factors and the accuracy of parent's perceptions of their child's weight status.

Results

Based on measured heights and weights, 38.9% of the children were overweight or obese, but only 19% of the children were perceived by their parents as overweight or obese. Over 55% of the overweight or obese children had parents who underestimated their child's weight. Multivariate analysis will be presented to describe the associations between the accuracy of parent's perceptions of their child's weight status and various sociodemographic factors.

Discussion

Parental perception of their child's weight status plays a critical role in the parent's responsiveness to potential interventions aimed at the child's lifestyle behaviors. Understanding factors associated with inaccurate parental perception of children's weight status is essential to implementing successful obesity prevention efforts.