title: How do parents of 4- to 5-year-old children perceive the weight of their children?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A heavier weight in adults is becoming the norm rather than an abnormal weight. Whether the same trend is happening in children is unknown.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the perception of the weight of 4- to 5-year-old children and the recognition of overweight by both parents.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire was sent to parents of 1155 4- to 5-year-old children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 439 questionnaires (35%) were returned. Of all, 90% of the children had a normal weight, 9.3% were overweight and 4.1% were obese. For all weight classes, the parents depicted the child as lighter on both the verbal and visual scale. Of all, 75% of mothers of overweight children stated that the child had a normal weight. In obese children, 50% of the mothers believed that the child had a normal weight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with a weight in the normal range were considered by their parents as a little too light or too light. Overweight was considered as normal weight, and obesity as normal or a little too heavy. The perception of a normal weight in children at 4-5 years is distorted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: H G M
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Oude Luttikhuis
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Stolk
authors.forename: P J J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Sauer
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires