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Published on: June 20, 2020
Parent perceptions of routine growth monitoring: A scoping review
1Department of Pediatrics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Insights
Routine growth monitoring (RGM) is familiar to parents but understanding is often poor. Parents may alter feeding and behaviors due to RGM, especially concerning weight classification, highlighting potential harms.
Area of Science:
- Child Health
- Paediatric Care
- Public Health
Background:
- Routine growth monitoring (RGM) is a standard component of paediatric care.
- Parental perspectives on the benefits and harms of RGM are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore parental experiences and perspectives regarding routine growth monitoring.
Main Methods:
- A scoping review of literature published after 2000 was conducted.
- Searches included databases such as Google Scholar, psycINFO, CINAHL, and PubMed.
- Studies focused on parental comprehension, preferences, attitudes, and behavioral changes related to RGM.
Main Results:
- Four themes emerged: reliance on RGM, understanding, influence on feeding/behavior, and response to weight classification.
- Parental understanding of RGM was limited, particularly in lower socioeconomic groups.
- Parents exhibited anxiety and altered behaviors (e.g., feeding changes) in response to RGM, often discounting information about overweight status due to concerns about self-esteem and eating disorders.
Conclusions:
- While RGM is familiar and can be reassuring, its potential harms from a parental viewpoint require greater consideration.
- Future RGM practices should incorporate parental perspectives to mitigate negative impacts.
Background:
Despite being a well-accepted part of paediatric care, little is known about the benefits or potential harms of routine growth monitoring (RGM) from a parent's perspective.
Objective:
To explore parental experiences with RGM.
Methods:
Literature searches were performed on Google Scholar, psycINFO, CINAHL, and PubMed. Included studies were published after 2000 and described parental comprehension, preferences, attitudes toward, and/or behaviour change related to RGM.
Results:
Of 24 reviewed studies, four themes were identified: reliance on growth monitoring, understanding, influence on feeding and behaviour, and response to obesity-related classification. RGM was familiar but not strongly preferred to identify a child's weight status. Parental understanding of RGM was poor, particularly among parents with low socioeconomic status. A common belief was that heavier babies were healthier, while smaller babies should prompt concern. Parents may be anxious and change behaviour in response to RGM, such as by halting breastfeeding, supplementing, or restricting their child's diet. Parents frequently discounted RGM information when their child was identified as overweight, and expressed concerns about self-esteem and eating disorders.
Conclusion:
This scoping review identifies that although RGM is familiar and sometimes reassuring to parents, increased consideration should be given to potential harms from parental perspectives when conducting growth monitoring.
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