SAN ANTONIO – Parents tend to fall short when it comes to accurately reporting the height and weight of their overweight or obese children, findings from a recent survey suggest.
The findings are of concern because failure to recognize when a child is overweight may prevent parents from seeking appropriate treatment or taking steps to address the problem, Craig A. Johnston, Ph.D., reported in a poster at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society.
The mean parent-reported weight for 118 children aged 5-12 years who were included in the study was 39.97 kg, which was slightly but not significantly greater than the actual mean weight of 39.62 kg. Reported mean height, however, was significantly greater than actual mean height (142.2 cm vs. 140.79 cm), resulting in a discrepancy in actual vs. reported body mass index, BMI as translated into a standardized z score, and body mass index percentile.
For example, zBMI based on parental report vs. actual measurement was 0.55 vs. 0.76, and BMI percentile was 65.12 vs. 70.55, respectively, said Dr. Johnston of the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.
In addition to underreporting their child’s BMI percentile by about 5 percentile points, only about 70% of parents correctly identified the presence or absence of a weight problem in their child, and of those who misclassified their child, 71% underreported BMI, Dr. Johnston said in an interview.
A closer look at the numbers shows that, while all parents of normal and underweight children correctly classified their children as not having a weight problem, the same was not true for parents of overweight and obese children. Parents of overweight children denied that their child had a weight problem in 94% of cases; parents of obese children denied that their child had a weight problem in 48% of cases, he said.
The findings suggest that some parents recognize when their child is overweight or obese but don’t see it as the problem that it is, Dr. Johnston said.
Survey respondents were mostly women (77%). Their children, 55% of whom were girls, had a mean age of 9.4 years.
The findings, which are concerning given that about a third of children in the United States are either overweight or obese, underscore the need for physicians to discuss weight issues with parents. Research has demonstrated that patients are more likely to engage in healthier behaviors when physicians address weight than when physicians do not address weight, he noted.
The findings also highlight a need for better education of parents about recognizing weight problems, as well as about the implications of their child’s overweight or obese status, he said, adding that physicians, schools, and community organizations can all play a role in providing that education.
The study was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the American Heart Association. Dr. Johnston said he had no relevant financial conflicts to report.