title: Turkish mothers' perceptions of their children's weight.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to determine mothers' perceptions and concerns about their preschool children's weight.
  
  
  METHODS
  This descriptive survey was carried out with mothers of 4- to 6-year-old children attending preschool.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of overweight among preschool children was 25.4%, but 73.3% of mothers of overweight children did not think that their children were overweight. Only 12.8% of mothers were concerned about their children being currently overweight; 8.1% worried that their children would become overweight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Understanding parental views about their children's weight is a key step for designing effective prevention strategies.
authors.affiliation: Mersin University, School of Health Sciences, Mersin, Turkey. fesenay@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Figen Isik
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Esenay
authors.forename: Rana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yigit
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Erdogan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology