title: Perceptions of health risk among parents of overweight children: a cross-sectional study within a cohort.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics associated with perceptions of weight-related health risk among the parents of overweight children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Baseline data from a cohort of parents of children aged 4-11 years in five areas in England in 2010-2011 were analysed; the sample was restricted to parents of overweight children (body mass index ≥ 91(st) centile of UK 1990 reference; n=579). Associations between respondent characteristics and parental perception of health risk associated with their child's weight were examined using logistic regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most parents (79%) did not perceive their child's weight to be a health risk. Perception of a health risk was associated with recognition of the child's overweight status (OR 10.59, 95% CI 5.51 to 20.34), having an obese child (OR 4.21, 95% CI 2.28 to 7.77), and having an older child (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.32 to 5.41). However, 41% of parents who considered their child to be overweight did not perceive a health risk.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Parents that recognise their child's overweight status, and the parents of obese and older children, are more likely to perceive a risk. However, many parents that acknowledge their child is overweight do not perceive a related health risk.
authors.affiliation: Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK. minhae.park@lshtm.ac.uk
authors.forename: Min Hae
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Catherine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Falconer
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saxena
authors.forename: Anthony S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Kessel
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Croker
authors.forename: Aine
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Skow
authors.forename: Russell M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Viner
authors.forename: Sanjay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kinra
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012015:Reference Standards; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D006113:United Kingdom