Mothers’ perceptions of their children’s weight: opportunity for health promotion in Kuwait

Abstract

Background: Mothers’ perceptions of their children’s weight remain mostly unknown in oil-rich countries of the Middle East. Aims: To compare maternal perceptions of their children’s weight with actual body weight. Methods: We used the Kuwait nutritional surveillance data for 5 consecutive years (2015-2019) (N = 5119), which were collected through face-to-face interviews with mothers of children aged 2-5 years attending vaccination centres. Results: Of the 5119 mothers in the study, 163 (3.18%) and 332 (6.48%) had obese or overweight children, respectively. Among 4624 mothers who had normal weight children, 1350 (29.20%) perceived their children’s weight as below normal. Seventy-nine (48.47%) and 16 (9.82%) mothers of children with obesity thought their children had normal weight or were underweight, respectively. Conclusion: Mothers in Kuwait often underestimate the weight of their children, including those children who have normal weight. This highlights the importance of addressing maternal misperceptions during visits to the primary healthcare centre.