Dallacker Mattea, Hertwig Ralph, Peters Ellen, Mata Jutta
Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Center for Adaptive Rationality, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Lentzeallee 94, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Soc Sci Med. 2016 Jul;161:126-33. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.06.006. Epub 2016 Jun 3.
In adults, lower numeracy is associated with poorer nutrition label comprehension and higher BMI. It remains unclear whether parental numeracy also impacts children's body weight.
We examined the relationship between parental numeracy and children's BMI z-scores and analyzed whether weight-related numerical information processing skills-specifically, portion-size estimation skills, comprehension of nutrition labels, and comprehension of growth charts-mediated that relationship.
Numeracy, portion-size estimation skills, comprehension of nutrition labels, and comprehension of growth charts were assessed in face-to-face interviews with 320 parents of children aged 6-12 years in Germany. Parent and child body weight were measured; parents reported both their own height and that of their children.
Lower parental numeracy was significantly associated with having a child who was either underweight (β = 0.126, P = 0.048) or overweight (β = -0.299, P < 0.001). Lower parental numeracy was also associated with poorer portion-size estimation skills (r = -0.08, P = 0.023) and inferior comprehension of growth charts (r = 0.33, P < 0.001) and nutrition labels (r = 0.26, P < 0.001). However, these weight-related numerical information processing skills did not mediate the association between parental numeracy and children's BMI.
This study is the first to find lower parental numeracy to be a risk factor for children being either over- or underweight. However, portion-size estimation skills, comprehension of nutrition labels, and comprehension of growth charts did not mediate the association between parental numeracy and children's BMI. The present findings thus winnow down the set of mechanisms potentially underlying this association. Parental numeracy is an as yet largely overlooked factor that can be targeted when developing interventions to prevent and treat malnutrition and to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight in children.
在成年人中，较低的数字能力与较差的营养标签理解能力和较高的体重指数（BMI）相关。目前尚不清楚父母的数字能力是否也会影响孩子的体重。
我们研究了父母数字能力与孩子BMI z评分之间的关系，并分析了与体重相关的数字信息处理技能——具体而言，即份量估计技能、营养标签理解能力和生长图表理解能力——是否介导了这种关系。
通过面对面访谈对德国320名6至12岁儿童的父母进行数字能力、份量估计技能、营养标签理解能力和生长图表理解能力的评估。测量了父母和孩子的体重；父母报告了自己及孩子的身高。
父母数字能力较低与孩子体重过轻（β = 0.126，P = 0.048）或超重（β = -0.299，P < 0.001）显著相关。父母数字能力较低还与较差的份量估计技能（r = -0.08，P = 0.023）、生长图表理解能力较差（r = 0.33，P < 0.001）和营养标签理解能力较差（r = 0.26，P < 0.001）相关。然而，这些与体重相关的数字信息处理技能并未介导父母数字能力与孩子BMI之间的关联。
本研究首次发现父母数字能力较低是孩子超重或体重过轻的一个风险因素。然而，份量估计技能、营养标签理解能力和生长图表理解能力并未介导父母数字能力与孩子BMI之间的关联。因此，本研究结果缩小了这一关联潜在的机制范围。父母数字能力是一个在很大程度上仍被忽视的因素，在制定预防和治疗儿童营养不良以及实现和维持儿童健康体重的干预措施时可以作为目标。
