title: Size misperception among overweight and obese families.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Perception of body size is a key factor driving health behavior. Mothers directly influence children's nutritional and exercise behaviors. Mothers of ethnic minority groups and lower socioeconomic status are less likely to correctly identify young children as overweight or obese. Little evaluation has been done of the inverse--the child's perception of the mother's weight.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine awareness of weight status among mother-child dyads (n = 506).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study conducted in an outpatient pediatric dental clinic of Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primarily Hispanic (82.2 %) mothers (n = 253), 38.8 ± 7.5 years of age, and children (n = 253), 10.5 ± 1.4 years of age, responding to a questionnaire adapted from the validated Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.
  
  
  METHODS
  Anthropometric measures-including height, weight, and waist circumference-and awareness of self-size and size of other generation were obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  71.4 % of obese adults and 35.1 % of overweight adults underestimated size, vs. 8.6 % of normal-weight (NW) adults (both p < 0.001). Among overweight and obese children, 86.3 % and 62.3 % underestimated their size, vs. 14.9 % NW children (both p < 0.001). Among mothers with overweight children, 80.0 % underestimated their child's weight, vs. 7.1 % of mothers with NW children (p < 0.001); 23.1 % of mothers with obese children also underestimated their child's weight (p < 0.01). Among children with obese mothers, only 13.0 % correctly classified the adult's size, vs. 76.5 % with NW mothers (p < 0.001). Among obese mothers, 20.8 % classified overweight body size as ideal, vs. 1.2 % among NW mothers (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overweight/obese adults and children frequently underestimate their size. Adults misjudge overweight/obese children as being of normal weight, and children of obese mothers often underestimate the adult's size. Failure to recognize overweight/obesity status among adults and children can lead to prolonged exposure to obesity-related comorbidities.
authors.affiliation: Center for Women's Health, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA, Tracy.paul@aya.yale.edu.
authors.forename: Tracy K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: Robert R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Sciacca
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bier
authors.forename: Juviza
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rodriguez
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Elsa-Grace V
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Giardina
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry / Q000379:methods; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005192:Family Health; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology; D050177:Overweight / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D057566:Self Report; D014892:Weight Perception; D055815:Young Adult