Herbert Ryan, Gillison Fiona, Grey Elisabeth, Hewitt Abigail, Woods Alice, Jackson Charlotte, Wisbey Grace, Perks Jack, Longhurst Maddy
Centre for Motivation and Health Behaviour Change, University of Bath, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK.
The National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration West (NIHR ARC West), University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, 9 Floor, BristolWhitefriars, Lewins Mead, BS1 2NTBristol, UK.
BMC Public Health. 2025 Apr 4;25(1):1280. doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22354-7.
Parents are considered important in promoting children's healthy weight, but express concern about how to talk to children about weight without harming their wellbeing. However, there is little research with children themselves as to what they expect and want in relation to managing their weight. This study aimed to explore children's views about weight measurement, and whether and how information about their weight should be shared with them.
Primary school-aged children were recruited through their school to take part in focus groups. Discussions were focused around two tasks: drawing a shared mind map of sources of information about weight; and exploring responses to a structured story about a child's experience of being weighed and measured. The discussions were recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis.
Forty-eight children took part, across eight focus groups. Theme 1 explored how children considered that most weight discussions were peripheral to them, often overheard conversations related to family members' attempts at weight loss. Theme 2 showed how children empathised with the challenges parents face when deciding whether to disclose weight status, in balancing the desire to avoid upsetting children with the desire to be honest and action focussed. Theme 3 summarised children's expectations about what should happen if children are found to have overweight or obesity, emphasising a whole-family approach.
Children's views about how and whether to talk about weight varied, but appeared underpinned by the awareness of stigma and belief in individual responsibility and capability for controlling body weight.
父母在促进孩子健康体重方面被认为很重要，但他们对如何与孩子谈论体重而不损害其幸福感表示担忧。然而，关于孩子自身对体重管理的期望和需求的研究很少。本研究旨在探讨孩子对体重测量的看法，以及是否应与他们分享体重信息以及如何分享。
通过学校招募小学适龄儿童参加焦点小组。讨论围绕两项任务展开：绘制关于体重信息来源的共享思维导图；探讨对一个关于孩子称重和测量经历的结构化故事的反应。讨论进行录音、转录并使用主题分析法进行分析。
48名儿童参与了8个焦点小组。主题1探讨了孩子们如何认为大多数关于体重的讨论与他们无关，通常是无意中听到的与家庭成员减肥尝试相关的对话。主题2展示了孩子们如何理解父母在决定是否披露体重状况时所面临的挑战，即在避免让孩子不安的愿望与诚实和注重行动的愿望之间取得平衡。主题3总结了孩子们对如果发现孩子超重或肥胖应该怎么做的期望，强调采用全家参与的方法。
孩子们对如何以及是否谈论体重的看法各不相同，但似乎都基于对污名化的认识以及对个人控制体重的责任和能力的信念。
