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Maternal perceptions of children's weight status
1Research Centre on Child Studies, CIEC, Institute of Education, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. luis.iec.um@hotmail.com
Child: Care, Health and Development
|April 21, 2012
Summary
Mothers frequently misclassify their children's weight status, often underestimating obesity. This study highlights the need for better awareness of child weight categories in Portugal.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Childhood Obesity Research
Background:
- Portugal faces high rates of childhood overweight and obesity in Europe.
- Maternal perception of child weight status is crucial but understudied in Portugal.
- Previous research has explored maternal perceptions, but not specifically in Portuguese children aged 9-12.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify maternal misclassification of child weight status in Portuguese children aged 9-12 years.
- To analyze misclassification rates based on child's gender, family income, and maternal factors (weight status, education, age).
- To assess the agreement between objective measurements and maternal perceptions of child weight.
Main Methods:
- A school-based study in northern Portugal involving 499 children (9-12 years old).
- Objective measurement of children's height and weight to calculate Body Mass Index (BMI).
- Maternal questionnaires collected perceptions of child's weight status, alongside demographic and socioeconomic data. Cohen's Kappa analyzed agreement.
Main Results:
- Prevalence rates: 4.6% underweight, 25.5% overweight, 6.4% obese.
- High misclassification: 65.2% of underweight and 61.6% of overweight/obese children were misclassified by mothers.
- Fair agreement (Kappa 0.257-0.486) between objective and perceived weight status, significant across most variables.
Conclusions:
- A significant proportion of mothers inaccurately perceive their children's weight status.
- Mothers commonly underestimate their children's body size, particularly in cases of overweight and obesity.
- Targeted educational interventions may be needed to improve maternal recognition of child weight categories.
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