Parental perception of weight and feeding practices in schoolchildren: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Childhood obesity has become a public health problem. Parents play an important role in the transmission of feeding habits and the detection of their child′ s weight status. The aim was to analyse the prevalence of overweight/obesity and to determine the relationship between children′ s weight status, different feeding practices and weight misperception. A cross-sectional study was conducted in randomly selected schools. The children’s weight status was measured, and a questionnaire was used to identify the feeding practices applied by parents and their perception of their children′ s weight. The sample comprised 127 children aged 4 and 5 years and 189 aged 10 and 11. Differences were observed between parental feeding practices and weight status, monitoring being the most used practice. Parents use less pressure to eat and more restriction if their children have overweight or obesity. Misperception of weight was 39.6%, being higher in overweight children, who were perceived as normal weight in 53.19%. Children classified as obese were perceived as overweight in 88.23%. The use of inappropriate eating practices shows a need for health education in parents according to weight status. In addition, the parents’ perception should be improved to increase early detection of overweight and start actions or seek professional help.