Actual Body Weight and the Parent’s Perspective of Child’s Body Weight among Rural Canadian Children

Bibliographic Data

ID15715928
AuthorsChandima Karunanayake (0000-0001-6960-5583, University of Saskatchewan, corresponding author), Donna Rennie (0000-0002-2661-3177, University of Saskatchewan), Carole Hildebrand (University of Saskatchewan), Joshua Lawson (0000-0002-6033-1296, University of Saskatchewan), Louise Hagel (University of Saskatchewan), James A Dosman (0000-0003-3643-1702, University of Saskatchewan), James Dosman (University of Saskatchewan), Punam Pahwa (0000-0002-3342-0496, Saskatchewan Health), The Saskatchewan Rural Health Study Team (University of Saskatchewan)
Year2016
Volume3
Issue3
Pages13-13
Publication date2016-08-04
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueChildren (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2227-9067 • E-ISSN: 2227-9067
PublisherMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3390/children3030013
PMID27527235
OpenAlexW2497649990
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited57

The prevalence of being overweight during childhood continues to increase in the USA and Canada and children living in rural areas are more at risk than their urban counterparts. The objectives of this study were to evaluate how well the parent's perception of their child's weight status correlated with objectively measured weight status among a group of rural children and to identify predictors of inaccurate parental perceptions of child's weight status. Participants were children from the Saskatchewan Rural Health Study conducted in 2010. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed through rural schools to parents of children in grades one to eight. Parents reported their child's height and weight and rated their child's weight status (underweight, just about the right weight, or overweight). Standardized body mass index (BMI) categories were calculated for clinically measured height and weight and for parental report of height and weight for 584 children. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify predictors of misclassification of the parent's perception of child's weight status adjusting for potential confounders. Clinically measured overweight was much higher (26.5%) compared to parental perceived overweight (7.9%). The misclassification of the child's BMI was more likely to occur if the child was a boy (odds ratio (OR) = 1.58) or non-Caucasian (OR = 2.03). Overweight was high in this group of rural children and parental perception of weight status underestimated the actual weight status of overweight school-age children. Parental reporting of child weight status has implications for public health policy and prevention strategies. Future research should focus on assessing longitudinal effects of parental misperceptions of child's weight status

Body mass index · Confounding · Logistic regression · Odds ratio · Overweight · Rural area · Underweight · Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues · Demography · Medicine · Obesity and Health Practices · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet · Pediatrics

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