Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Yale University, 219 Prospect St., New Haven, CT 06511, USA.
Department of Nutrition Science and Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Rd., Changsha 410078, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Apr 11;15(4):716. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15040716.
: Early childhood obesity in China has become a pressing public health concern. A substantial barrier to healthy weight management is poor parental recognition of child overweight. This study examined the relationship between caregiver perceptions of child weight and dietary practices. : A total of 364 children between 2 and 6 years old from six urban preschools in Changsha (China) were included in a cross-sectional study. Information on household demographics, health behaviors, and caregiver attitudes was collected through a self-administered caregiver questionnaire. Chi-squared tests, -tests, and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to determine the relationship between caregiver perceptions, dietary behaviors, and child weight status. : Over 60% of caregivers with overweight/obese children underestimated their children's weight status. These caregivers were less likely to worry about weight and restrict their children's dietary intakes. Children of caregivers who incorrectly classified their weights were also more likely to have a poor appetite. Caregivers of male children and those from families with incomes between 7000 and 11,000 Ren Min Bi (RMB) were more likely to underestimate weight compared to caregivers with daughters and those from higher income households. : Although accurate weight perception may be important for motivating healthy behavioral changes, it may also lead to greater restriction of children's diets, which has been linked to long-term weight gain. Interventions to improve awareness of child overweight should be coupled with efforts that teach caregivers about healthy weight management strategies.
中国儿童期肥胖已成为一个紧迫的公共卫生问题。健康体重管理的一个重要障碍是父母对儿童超重的认识不足。本研究调查了照顾者对儿童体重的看法与饮食行为之间的关系。
本横断面研究共纳入了来自长沙市六所城市幼儿园的 364 名 2 至 6 岁儿童。通过家长自填问卷收集了家庭人口统计学、健康行为和照顾者态度方面的信息。采用卡方检验、t 检验和多变量逻辑回归分析来确定照顾者的看法、饮食行为与儿童体重状况之间的关系。
超过 60%的超重/肥胖儿童的照顾者低估了他们孩子的体重状况。这些照顾者不太担心体重问题，也不太限制孩子的饮食摄入。如果照顾者错误地判断了孩子的体重，那么孩子的食欲也更差。与照顾女儿的照顾者或收入较高家庭的照顾者相比，男童的照顾者和收入在 7000 到 11000 人民币之间的家庭的照顾者更有可能低估体重。
虽然准确的体重感知可能对激励健康行为改变很重要，但它也可能导致对儿童饮食的过度限制，而这与长期体重增加有关。提高对儿童超重的认识的干预措施应与教授照顾者健康体重管理策略的努力相结合。
