National Centre for Epidemiology, Surveillance, and Health Promotion, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (National Institute of Health), Viale Regina Elena 299, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2013 May;23(5):410-6. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2011.09.006. Epub 2011 Dec 31.
This analysis investigates the poorly-known effect of local prevalence of childhood obesity on mothers' perception of their children's weight status.
In 2008, a national nutritional survey of children attending the third grade of elementary school was conducted in Italy. Children were measured and classified as underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese, using the International Obesity Task Force cut-offs for body mass index (BMI). A parental questionnaire included parental perception of their child's weight status (underweight, normal, a little overweight and a lot overweight). Regions were classified by childhood obesity prevalence (<8%, 8-12%, ≥13%). The association between incorrect maternal perception and regional obesity prevalence, and maternal and child characteristics were examined using bivariate and logistic regression analyses. Complete data were available for 37 590 children, of whom 24% were overweight and 12% obese. Mothers correctly identified the status of 84% of normal weight, 52% of overweight and 14% of obese children. Among overweight children, factors associated with underestimation of the child's weight included lower maternal education (adjusted odds ratio, aOR, 1.9; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-2.4), residence in a high-obesity region (aOR 2.2; 95% CI 1.9-2.6), male gender (aOR 1.4; 95% CI 1.2-1.6) and child's BMI.
Higher regional obesity prevalence is associated with lower maternal perception, suggesting that what is common has a greater likelihood of being perceived as normal. As perception is a first step to change, it may be harder to intervene in areas with high-obesity prevalence where intervention is most urgent.
本分析研究了儿童肥胖局部流行对母亲对子女体重状况认知的鲜为人知的影响。
2008 年，意大利对小学三年级的儿童进行了全国营养调查。使用国际肥胖工作组（IOTF）的体质量指数（BMI）切点，对儿童进行测量并分类为消瘦、正常体重、超重和肥胖。父母调查问卷包括父母对子女体重状况的认知（消瘦、正常、稍微超重和超重）。根据儿童肥胖患病率（<8%、8-12%、≥13%）将地区分类。使用双变量和逻辑回归分析检查了母亲感知错误与区域肥胖患病率以及母亲和儿童特征之间的关联。共有 37590 名儿童的完整数据可用，其中 24%超重，12%肥胖。母亲正确识别了 84%正常体重、52%超重和 14%肥胖儿童的状况。在超重儿童中，低估儿童体重的相关因素包括母亲受教育程度较低（调整后的优势比，aOR，1.9；95%置信区间（CI）1.6-2.4）、居住在肥胖高发地区（aOR 2.2；95% CI 1.9-2.6）、男性（aOR 1.4；95% CI 1.2-1.6）和儿童 BMI。
更高的区域肥胖患病率与较低的母亲认知相关，这表明常见的情况更有可能被视为正常。由于感知是改变的第一步，因此在肥胖患病率较高的地区进行干预可能会更加困难，而这些地区正是最需要干预的地区。
