title: Do parents accurately perceive their child's weight status?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Few studies have evaluated the accuracy of parental perceptions of their child's weight status.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional sample of children aged 5 to 12 years and their parents (n = 576 parent-child pairs) was enrolled from four schools. Child height and weight were measured. The parents classified their child on Likert scales ranging from "extremely overweight" to "extremely underweight." Parental perceptions were compared with their child's weight status according to body mass index (BMI) age-gender percentiles. Fisher-Halton-Freeman tests, chi(2), and logistic regression were used to compare demographic factors between parents who inaccurately estimated and those who accurately estimated child weight status.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Misclassification occurred 25% of the time (95% confidence interval: 21.4-28.5). All parents of children with a BMI greater than or equal to the 95th percentile classified their child in a category other than "extremely overweight," and 75% of children with a BMI from the 85th to less than the 95th percentile were misclassified as "about right" or "underweight." Boys were more likely to be misclassified than were girls (29% vs 21%, P = .03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of parents of obese and overweight children underestimate their child's weight status. Parents of boys are more likely to perceive their child's weight incorrectly.
authors: Department of Pedaitrics, Univeristy of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: De La O
authors: Kristine C
authors: KC
authors: Jordan
authors: Karen
authors: K
authors: Ortiz
authors: Laurie J
authors: LJ
authors: Moyer-Mileur
authors: Greg
authors: G
authors: Stoddard
authors: Mike
authors: M
authors: Friedrichs
authors: Rachel
authors: R
authors: Cox
authors: Emily C
authors: EC
authors: Carlson
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Heap
authors: Nicole L
authors: NL
authors: Mihalopoulos
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016487:Parenting; D014589:Utah