The Impact of Nutritional Knowledge of Mothers on Their Children's Nutritional Knowledge and Weight Status

Objectives: This cross-sectional study assessed the nutritional knowledge of Saudi mothers and their children. Then, it examined the association between the nutritional knowledge of mothers and the nutritional knowledge and weight status of their schoolchildren in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia. Methods: The mothers' nutritional knowledge was assessed using the validated Arabic version of the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ). The children's nutritional knowledge was assessed through an interviewer-administered questionnaire, and their weight status was determined based on their Body Mass Index (BMI) Z-score, which was calculated according to their anthropometric measurements. Results: One hundred children and sixty mothers were included in this study. Only 6.67% of the mothers had a high level of nutrition knowledge. A total of 54% of their children had low nutritional knowledge scores, and approximately 27% was classified as having excess weight. More than 40% of the children reported consuming fruits and vegetables 4-5 times/week, whereas 50% of the children consumed fast foods 1-3 times/week. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that higher nutritional knowledge scores among the children were significantly associated with higher mothers' knowledge scores [(0.06 (95%CI: 0.0.03, 0.0.08)] and older age among these children [0.61 (95%CI: 0.44, 0.77)], as the older children had higher knowledge scores. The children's nutritional knowledge, however, was not associated with the child's sex, mothers' age, or mothers' education. The maternal knowledge scores were not associated with the child's weight status. Conclusions: Given that the nutrition knowledge scores of Saudi mothers are significantly associated with those of their children, but not with their weight status, it can be concluded that nutrition knowledge alone may not be sufficient to address the overweight and obesity epidemic in Saudi Arabia. However, it remains a crucial component of multifaceted interventions that also enhance physical activity and promote behavior change to improve health outcomes and weight status in the Saudi population.