Caregivers' inability to identify childhood adiposity: a cross-sectional survey of rural children and their caregivers' attitudes.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of overweight and obese children in north-western New South Wales and to assess caregivers' ability to detect adiposity in their children.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey using a standardised caregiver questionnaire and anthropometric measurements of school children attending 10 primary schools selected by stratified random sampling.


METHODS
A total of 598 eligible school children aged between five and eight years.


METHODS
Body mass index for children; caregivers' assessment of their children's dietary intake, physical activity and adiposity by questionnaire.


RESULTS
A total of 348 caregivers responded to the survey, yielding a response rate of 58.2%. Significantly more caregivers of boys (200) than girls (144) chose to participate (chi2 = 8.3, d.f. = 1, P < 0.01). The vast majority of caregivers (87%) consented to their children being measured. Body mass index measurements revealed the following: more than three quarters of boys (82%) and girls (77%) were of normal weight. Of boys and girls 13% were overweight. Twice as many girls (6%) than boys (3%) were obese. In total, 31% of caregivers underestimated the weight of their children. This proportion of caregivers underestimating the correct weight category of their children almost doubled to 56% of caregivers of overweight children. Proportionately more caregivers of overweight boys underestimated their children's weight than caregivers of girls (67% compared with 44%).


CONCLUSIONS
Health promotional activities need to address, as a matter of priority, caregivers' ability to accurately assess the correct weight category of their children.
Fisher
Louise
L
Hunter New England Area Health Service, Rural Training Unit, Tamworth, New South Wales, Australia.
Fraser
John
J
Alexander
Christian
C
D050154:Adiposity; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D017028:Caregivers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013663:Teaching