Prevalence and predictors of parental concern for children's weight from 2002 to 2012

Public health initiatives to increase parental awareness about children's obesity have become more prominent in the past decade. These initiatives may contribute to increased concern in parents for their children's weight, even if their children are at a healthy weight. The aim of the present study was to document trends in parental (N = 365; 67.9% female) concern for their children's weight from 2002 to 2012 using surveys on health and eating behaviors.

Participants (N = 365) were parents who completed surveys in 2002 and were followed up in 2012 as part of a longitudinal epidemiological study of eating attitudes and behavior.

McNemar's test and logistic regression models estimated changes in and predictors of parental concern.

In 2002, 36.5% of participants indicated concern for their children's weight, which rose to 54.4% in 2012. Parents of overweight children were more likely to report concern than parents of average-weight children at baseline and 10-year follow-up. However, concern increased significantly even among parents of average-weight children, rising from 28.7% to 41.6% (McNemar's test statistic: 8.20, P = .002). Secondary analyses revealed that parents' baseline drive for thinness predicted increased likelihood of concern in these parents (odds ratio: 1.10, P = .04).

Findings support the need for future research to examine consequences of societal messages about pediatric obesity.