The impact of parents' categorization of their own weight and their child's weight on healthy lifestyle promoting beliefs and practices

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Allison C. Sylvetsky-Meni, George Washington University; Scott E. Gillepsie, Emory School of Medicine; Trisha Hardy, Child Wellness Department; Jean A. Welsh, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2015-01-01
• Publisher: Hindawi Publishing Corporation
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2015 Allison C. Sylvetsky-Meni et al.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2015/307381
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: Journal of Obesity
• ISSN: 2090-0708
• Volume: 2015
• Start Page: 307381
• End Page: 307381
• Grant/Funding Information: This work was funded by Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
• Keywords: Child; Self Concept; Parents; Body Weight; Child, Preschool; Male; Surveys and Questionnaires; Socioeconomic Factors; Humans; Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Life Style; Female; Weight Loss; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Pediatric Obesity; Adult; Georgia; Parenting; Adolescent
• Research Categories: Engineering, Biomedical; Health Sciences, Nutrition

Abstract

Objective. To evaluate parents' beliefs and practices related to childhood obesity and determine if these are influenced by parent's perception of their own weight or their child's weight. Methods. Parents of obese (n = 689) or normal weight (n = 1122) children 4-15 years in Georgia, USA, were randomly selected to complete a telephone survey. Frequency of child obesity-related perceptions, beliefs, and practices were assessed, stratified by parent-perceived self-weight and child weight status, and compared using Chi-squared tests and multivariate logistic regression. Results. Most parents, regardless of perceived child weight, agreed that child overweight/obesity can cause serious illness (95%) but only one-half believed it was a problem in Georgia. Many (42.4%) failed to recognize obesity in their own children. More parents who perceived their child as overweight versus normal weight reported concern about their child's diet and activity and indicated readiness for lifestyle change. Parents' perception of their own weight had little additional impact. Conclusions. While awareness of child overweight as a modifiable health risk is high, many parents fail to recognize it in their own families and communities, reducing the likelihood of positive lifestyle change. Additional efforts to help parents understand their role in facilitating behavior change and to assist them in identifying at-risk children are required.