Parental Perceptions of Preschool Children's Weight Status in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Currently, overweight/obesity rates among children are increasing. Moreover, parents generally misunderstand their children s weight status. The correct perception of overweight/obesity in early childhood is very important for children s growth and development. The purpose of this study was to investigate parental perceptions of children s weight status. Methods: We analyzed data from a questionnaire study conducted among 1,971 preschool children in local kindergartens from December 1, 2021, to January 31, 2022, and classified the participants as having non-overweight and overweight/obesity according to the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) criteria. Parents were asked whether they perceived their children to have non-overweight or overweight/obesity. We analyzed the related factors that parents underestimated or overestimated their children s weight status. Results: The rate of overweight/obesity in preschool children was 17.9%. Parental perceptions of children s weight status were inconsistent with children s real weight (kappa = 0.351, p < 0.001). The correctness of mother s perceptions of children s weight was higher than that of father s. Among children who were affected by overweight/obesity, 68.5% of parents underestimated their children s weights. Mothers with overweight/ obesity had a 1.56 times greater risk of underestimating the children s weight than mothers who were affected by non-overweight (p = 0.010, odds ratio: 1.56, 95% confidence interval: 1.11-2.18). Children s sex and families with siblings were independent risk factors for parents to overestimate children s weight. Conclusion: Parents were highly likely to misinterpret the weight status of their children who were affected by overweight/ obesity. Mothers with overweight/obesity were more likely to underestimate their children s weight.