Academic Collaborative Center AMPHI, Integrated Health Policy, Department of Primary and Community Care, ELG, Radboud university medical center, HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Department of Primary and Community Care, ELG, Radboud university medical center, HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
PLoS One. 2020 Jan 16;15(1):e0227761. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227761. eCollection 2020.
Parents' underestimation of their child's weight status can hinder active participation in overweight prevention programs. We examined the level of agreement between the parents' perception of their child's weight status and the child's actual weight status, moderating factors, and change over time.
This cross-sectional study used data collected in 2009 (n = 8105), 2013 (n = 8844) and 2017 (n = 11,022) from a community-based survey conducted among parents of children age 2-12 years in the Netherlands. Parents classified their perception of their child's weight status on a 5-point Likert scale. In 2009 and 2013, the child's BMI was calculated from self-reported data by parents. The level of agreement between the parent's perception of the weight status and the actual weight status was examined using Cohen's kappa. The role of demographic factors on parents' perception were examined using logistic regression.
In 2009, 2013 and 2017, 6%, 6% and 5% of the parents, respectively, classified their child as heavy/extremely heavy. In 2009 and 2013, 64.7% and 61.0% of parents, respectively, underestimated the weight status of their overweight child. This was even higher among parents of obese children. Overall, the agreement between the parents' perception and the actual weight status improved from 2009 (kappa = 0.38) to 2013 (kappa = 0.43) (p<0.05), but remained unsatisfactory. The parents' underestimation of their child's overweight/obesity status was associated with the child's age in 2009 and 2013 (2-7 years; OR: 0.18), the child's gender in 2009 (male; OR: 0.55), and the parents' education level in 2009 (middle and high education; OR: 0.56 and 0.44 respectively).
Parents' underestimation of their child's weight status remains alarmingly high, particularly among parents of young, obese children. This underestimation is a barrier to preventing childhood overweight/obesity. Healthcare professionals should take this underestimation into consideration and should actively encourage parents to take steps to prevent overweight/obesity in their children.
父母低估孩子的体重状况可能会阻碍他们积极参与超重预防计划。我们研究了父母对孩子体重状况的感知与孩子实际体重状况之间的一致性程度、调节因素以及随时间的变化。
本横断面研究使用了 2009 年（n=8105）、2013 年（n=8844）和 2017 年（n=11022）在荷兰进行的一项基于社区的调查中从 2-12 岁儿童父母那里收集的数据。父母通过 5 点李克特量表来评估他们对孩子体重状况的看法。在 2009 年和 2013 年，父母通过自我报告的数据计算孩子的 BMI。通过 Cohen's kappa 检验评估父母对体重状况的感知与实际体重状况之间的一致性程度。使用逻辑回归检验人口统计学因素对父母感知的影响。
在 2009 年、2013 年和 2017 年，分别有 6%、6%和 5%的父母将孩子归类为超重/极重。在 2009 年和 2013 年，分别有 64.7%和 61.0%的父母低估了超重孩子的体重状况。肥胖儿童的父母更是如此。总体而言，父母对体重状况的感知与实际体重状况之间的一致性从 2009 年（kappa=0.38）提高到 2013 年（kappa=0.43）（p<0.05），但仍不理想。父母对孩子超重/肥胖状况的低估与孩子在 2009 年和 2013 年的年龄（2-7 岁；OR：0.18）、孩子在 2009 年的性别（男性；OR：0.55）以及父母在 2009 年的教育水平（中等和高等教育；OR：0.56 和 0.44）有关。
父母对孩子体重状况的低估仍然高得惊人，尤其是在肥胖儿童的父母中。这种低估是预防儿童超重/肥胖的障碍。医疗保健专业人员应考虑到这种低估，并应积极鼓励父母采取措施预防孩子超重/肥胖。
