Correspondence between children's nutritional status and mothers' perceptions: a population-based study

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the correspondence between the nutritional status of children aged 7-10 years and their mothers' perceptions of their children's weight. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,282 children. Weight and height were measured and classified according to International Obesity Taskforce (IOTF) criteria. Mothers' perceptions were assessed based on four possible conditions. The Kappa test (k) was used to evaluate the correspondence between nutritional status and mothers' perceptions and followed by regression analyses. The prevalence of overweight and underweight was 23.2% and 5.7% respectively. Half of mothers reported that their children were "underweight"; 61.2% said that their children were "normal"; 11.8% said that their children were "above normal weight"; and 1.1% referred to their offspring as "very much above normal weight". Highest and lowest correspondence between nutritional status and mother´s perception were: underweight and much above normal weight, respectively (k = 0.217, p < 0.000). Gender and ethnicity showed significant association with the mother's perception, even after controlling for other variables. Low correspondence levels between nutritional status and mother's perception were observed, especially among obese children.