Parents' Perceptions of Childhood Obesity and Support of the School Wellness Policy.

OBJECTIVE

Investigate differences in familiarity of parents of school-aged children with school wellness polices (SWP) and perceptions of the problem of childhood obesity related to support for the SWP and school's role in providing a healthy environment.

METHODS

Descriptive, cross-sectional study using telephone surveys conducted in spring, 2016. T test statistics compared differences between parents with high vs low SWP familiarity and agreement vs disagreement of childhood obesity as problematic.

RESULTS

Nearly half of parents (49.5%) had low familiarity with SWP. Overall, fewer parents agreed that obesity was a local school problem compared with a statewide problem (P < .001). Differences in agreement about childhood obesity explained some differences in SWP support.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Greater awareness is needed among parents of schoolchildren regarding the SWP as well as the prevalence of childhood obesity. This could be achieved through increased development, implementation, and evaluation of communication efforts between schools and families regarding health-promoting environments.