Gender inequalities in maternal perception of healthy child body shape and their association with child body mass and blood pressure.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether maternal perception of child body shape is different for boys and girls and whether this subjective parameter is associated with objective indices of cardiovascular health.


METHODS
Cross-sectional survey (the ARCA Project).


METHODS
Southern Italy.


METHODS
Body mass index, waist circumference and blood pressure were measured according to standardised procedures in 3551 children (Boys = 1778; Girls = 1773) aged 6-11 years. Maternal perception of child body shape was investigated by inviting mothers to choose, within two sets of seven, 9-year-old child silhouettes (one set for boys and one set for girls), the body shape they perceived as that of a healthy child.


RESULTS
Although the majority of mothers indicated the median silhouette as 'healthy', mothers of girls chose a fatter silhouette as 'healthy' more often than the mothers of boys (P = 0.001). By regression analysis, mothers' perception of a child's body shape was a significant determinant (P < 0.01) of blood pressure in both genders, and of anthropometric indices in girls only, independently of parental overweight, education, birth weight and physical activity.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggests that maternal perception of a healthy body shape in children is associated with her child's blood pressure and degree of adiposity; with regard to the latter, differences between genders are apparent.
Barba
Gianvincenzo
G
Epidemiology and Population Genetics, Institute of Food Science, National Research Council, Avellino, Italy. gbarba@isa.cnr.it
Casullo
Carmela
C
Russo
Paola
P
Siani
Alfonso
A
D050154:Adiposity; D001724:Birth Weight; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D009043:Motor Activity; D010465:Perception; D012737:Sex Factors