title: Overweight in Latino preschoolers: do parental health beliefs matter?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs (KAB) regarding childhood obesity among parents of Latino preschoolers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred sixty-nine Mexican immigrant parents of children ages 2-5 were interviewed. Children were weighed and measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parents underestimated their own child's weight status and had high levels of perceived control over their children's eating and activity behaviors. Parents of overweight (>95%ile-for-age-and-sex BMI) versus nonoverweight (<95%ile BMI) children did not differ in their beliefs about ideal child body size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Latino parents of overweight children did not differ from parents of nonoverweight children with respect to their KAB about childhood obesity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA. kerse003@umn.edu
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kersey
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lipton
authors.forename: Michael T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Quinn
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lantos
mesh_terms: D001835:Body Weight; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*