Dataset Information

Parental Perception of Weight Status: Influence on Children's Diet in the Gateshead Millennium Study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Recognising overweight and obesity is critical to prompting action, and consequently preventing and treating obesity. The present study examined the association between parental perceptions of child weight status and child's diet.

Methods

Participants were members of the Gateshead Millennium Study. Parental perception of their child's weight status was assessed using a questionnaire and compared against International Obesity Task Force cut-offs for childhood overweight and obesity when the children were aged 6-8 years old. Diet was assessed at age 6-8years old using the FAST (Food Assessment in Schools Tool) food diary method. The association between parental perception and dietary patterns as defined by Principal Components Analysis, was assessed using multivariate regression after adjustment for child's gender, child's weight status, maternal body mass index (BMI), maternal education and deprivation status.

Results

Of the 361 parents who provided complete data on confounders and on their perception of their child's weight status, 63 (17%) parents perceived their child as being of 'normal' weight or 'overweight' when they were actually 'overweight' or 'obese', respectively. After adjustment for confounders, parents who misperceived their child's weight had children with a lower 'healthy' dietary pattern score compared to children whose parents correctly perceived their weight (? = -0.88; 95% CI: -1.7, -0.1; P-value = 0.028). This association was found despite higher consumption of reduced sugar carbonated drinks amongst children whose parents incorrectly perceived their weight status compared to children whose parents perceived their weight correctly (52.4% vs. 33.6%; P-value = 0.005).

Conclusions

In conclusion, children whose parents did not correctly perceive their weight status scored lower on the 'healthy' dietary pattern. Further research is required to define parents' diets based on their perception status and to examine if a child's or parent's diet mediates the association between parental perception and child weight.

SUBMITTER: Almoosawi S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4757535 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Parental Perception of Weight Status: Influence on Children's Diet in the Gateshead Millennium Study.

Almoosawi Suzana S Jones Angela R AR Parkinson Kathryn N KN Pearce Mark S MS Collins Heather H Adamson Ashley J AJ

PloS one 20160217 2

<h4>Objective</h4>Recognising overweight and obesity is critical to prompting action, and consequently preventing and treating obesity. The present study examined the association between parental perceptions of child weight status and child's diet.<h4>Methods</h4>Participants were members of the Gateshead Millennium Study. Parental perception of their child's weight status was assessed using a questionnaire and compared against International Obesity Task Force cut-offs for childhood overweight a ...[more]

PMID: 26886851

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Project description:BACKGROUND:Children's oral health status (OHS) can be influenced by their oral health practices and many parental factors. This study aimed to investigate pathways from parental factors to oral health practices and status of children in Hong Kong. METHODS:Using a combination of random and purposive sampling of Hong Kong households, 432 families with children aged 5-7 participated in a cross-sectional survey. Data on socioeconomic status, smoking, and oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices, as well as OHS of parents and parents' knowledge of and attitudes towards their children's oral health, were collected through a questionnaire. Tooth status, periodontal status, and oral hygiene data were also collected through clinical examination. Correlations of oral health behaviors (OHB) and OHS within families were assessed by confirmatory factor analysis. A conceptual model of the parental influences on children's oral health practices and status was tested by a structural equation model (SEM). Chi-square test, chi-square/df, nonnormed fit index, comparative fit index, and root mean square error of approximation were used to assess the model fit. RESULTS:Fit indexes for confirmatory factor analysis and SEM showed good fit. Positive correlations of OHB and OHS were found within the families that ranged from 0.74 to 0.98 for OHB and 0.30 to 0.43 for OHS. SEM showed better socioeconomic status of mothers led to better oral health knowledge and attitude (γ = 0.75, P < 0.001) and also towards their children's better oral health knowledge and attitude (γ = 0.44, P < 0.01). Parents' attitudes towards their children's oral health (β = 0.40, P = 0.04) and mothers' OHB (β = 0.60, P < 0.001) were positively associated with OHB of children. Positive OHB of children (β = - 0.48, P < 0.01) in turn led to better oral health. CONCLUSIONS:Correlations of OHB and OHS between mothers and children were stronger than those of fathers. Children's OHS was directly affected by their mothers' OHB, which in turn were affected by parents' oral health knowledge, attitudes, and practices.

Project description:BackgroundMaternal perception of child weight status in children with overweight or obesity has received a lot of attention but data on paternal perception of children from presumably healthy cohorts are lacking.ObjectiveWe aimed to investigate paternal and maternal perception of child weight status at the age of 8 years in a cohort of 591 children from 5 European countries.Material and methodsIncluded were 8-year-old children and their parents participating in the European Childhood Obesity Project (EU CHOP). Weight and height of children and parents were measured and Body Mass Index (BMI, kg/m2) was calculated. Both parents were asked to assess their perception of child weight status using Eckstein scales and their concern about child overweight. The agreement between mother and father perceptions was assessed by Cohen kappa coefficient and their relationship was analyzed by linear mixed effects models based on ordinal logistic regression, accounting for country, child gender and BMI, parental BMI, level of education, concern and type of feeding during first year of life.ResultsData from children and both parents were available for 432 girls and boys. Mean BMI was comparable in boys and girls (16.7 ± 2.31 vs. 16.9 ± 2.87 kg/m2, P = 0.55). In total, 172 children (29.3%) were overweight or obese. There was a high degree of agreement between mother and father perceptions of their child's weight status (Cohen kappa 0.77). Multivariate modelling showed that perception levels significantly increased with child BMI but were globally lower than assessed. They differed between countries, gender and types of feeding during first year of life, were influenced by education level of the father but were not related to parental BMI and concern about childhood overweight.ConclusionsThe study showed no overall differences between mothers and fathers in rating their child's weight status but both parents had a propensity to underestimate their child's actual weight, particularly in boys. The EU CHOP trial registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00338689.

Project description:IntroductionParents can act as important agents of change and support for healthy childhood growth and development. Studies have found that parents may not be able to accurately perceive their child's weight status. The purpose of this study was to measure parental perceptions of their child's weight status and to identify predictors of potential parental misperceptions.MethodsWe used data from the World Health Organization (WHO) European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative and 22 countries. Parents were asked to identify their perceptions of their children's weight status as "underweight," "normal weight," "a little overweight," or "extremely overweight." We categorized children's (6-9 years; n = 124,296) body mass index (BMI) as BMI-for-age Z-scores based on the 2007 WHO-recommended growth references. For each country included in the analysis and pooled estimates (country level), we calculated the distribution of children according to the WHO weight status classification, distribution by parental perception of child's weight status, percentages of accurate, overestimating, or underestimating perceptions, misclassification levels, and predictors of parental misperceptions using a multilevel logistic regression analysis that included only children with overweight (including obesity). Statistical analyses were performed using Stata version 15 1.ResultsOverall, 64.1% of parents categorized their child's weight status accurately relative to the WHO growth charts. However, parents were more likely to underestimate their child's weight if the child had overweight (82.3%) or obesity (93.8%). Parents were more likely to underestimate their child's weight if the child was male (adjusted OR [adjOR]: 1.41; 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.28-1.55); the parent had a lower educational level (adjOR: 1.41; 95% CI: 1.26-1.57); the father was asked rather than the mother (adjOR: 1.14; 95% CI: 0.98-1.33); and the family lived in a rural area (adjOR: 1.10; 95% CI: 0.99-1.24). Overall, parents' BMI was not strongly associated with the underestimation of children's weight status, but there was a stronger association in some countries.Discussion/conclusionOur study supplements the current literature on factors that influence parental perceptions of their child's weight status. Public health interventions aimed at promoting healthy childhood growth and development should consider parents' knowledge and perceptions, as well as the sociocultural contexts in which children and families live.

Dataset Information

Parental Perception of Weight Status: Influence on Children's Diet in the Gateshead Millennium Study.

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Parental Perception of Weight Status: Influence on Children's Diet in the Gateshead Millennium Study.

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