Liggins Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
A Better Start - National Science Challenge, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
Front Public Health. 2022 Jun 30;10:641418. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.641418. eCollection 2022.
Early childhood obesity is highly prevalent in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ). Little is known about caregiver perception of children's weight status among those living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation, particularly Māori and Pacific children.
To explore caregiver perception of weight status among children starting school in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation and examine potential associations between the child's body mass index (BMI) z-score and their caregiver's perception of their child's body size or health.
Participants were 5-year-old children living in a community of high socioeconomic deprivation and their caregivers. Children had their weight and height measured. BMI -scores were calculated according to World Health Organization standards. Caregivers were asked to assess their child's BMI and health status, and choose a silhouette that best represented their child's body size.
One hundred and six children (>75% Māori or Pacific) were included. Over half (58%) had overweight or obesity, with only 16% correctly perceived by their caregiver as overweight. These children tended to have higher BMI -scores than those not correctly perceived as overweight. Caregivers chose larger silhouettes to represent children's body sizes as children's BMI -scores increased. There was no discernible association between children's BMI -scores and caregiver perception of children's health.
Caregivers appeared to judge their child's body size in comparison to other children. The normalization of childhood obesity and infrequent caregiver recognition of this condition in children in communities with a high prevalence may impact the uptake and efficacy of intervention initiatives.
在新西兰（NZ），幼儿肥胖症的发病率非常高。在社会经济贫困地区，尤其是毛利人和太平洋岛民的儿童中，很少有人了解照顾者对儿童体重状况的看法。
探索在社会经济贫困地区即将上学的儿童中照顾者对体重状况的看法，并检查儿童的 BMI 得分与其照顾者对其儿童身体大小或健康的看法之间的潜在关联。
参与者为生活在社会经济贫困社区的 5 岁儿童及其照顾者。测量了儿童的体重和身高。根据世界卫生组织的标准计算 BMI 得分。要求照顾者评估他们孩子的 BMI 和健康状况，并选择一个最能代表他们孩子体型的剪影。
共有 106 名儿童（>75%为毛利人或太平洋岛民）被纳入研究。超过一半（58%）超重或肥胖，只有 16%被照顾者正确认为超重。这些孩子的 BMI 得分往往高于未被正确认为超重的孩子。随着孩子的 BMI 得分增加，照顾者选择更大的剪影来代表孩子的体型。儿童的 BMI 得分与照顾者对儿童健康状况的看法之间没有明显的关联。
照顾者似乎根据其他孩子的体型来判断自己孩子的体型。在肥胖儿童普遍存在的社区中，儿童肥胖症的常态化和照顾者对这种情况的认识不足，可能会影响干预措施的接受程度和效果。
