Parent Perceptions of Children's Weight Status, Nutrition, and Activity Levels

Abstract

Although national statistics indicate about a third of children aged 6 to 11 years are overweight or obese, previous studies have revealed that parents often fail to accurately perceive a child's problematic weight status. In this study, data were collected on 407 parent-child dyads to determine the accuracy of parent perceptions of child weight status across the upper elementary school years. Parents also reported on their perceptions of the healthfulness of the child's daily diet and the amount of physical activity engaged in by the child. Findings indicated that parents underestimate the child's weight status while overwhelmingly perceiving that the child is physically active and consuming a healthy diet. Specifically, 76% of parents of overweight children viewed the child as healthy weight rather than overweight, and about 90% of parents of obese children viewed the child as healthy weight or only slightly overweight. Accordingly, it is proposed that parents may need more information on recognizing healthy and unhealthy weight statuses and, when children are identified as overweight or obese, encouraged to promote greater physical activity and a healthier diet in children.