title: The impact of parents' categorization of their own weight and their child's weight on healthy lifestyle promoting beliefs and practices.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate parents' beliefs and practices related to childhood obesity and determine if these are influenced by parent's perception of their own weight or their child's weight.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of obese (n = 689) or normal weight (n = 1122) children 4-15 years in Georgia, USA, were randomly selected to complete a telephone survey. Frequency of child obesity-related perceptions, beliefs, and practices were assessed, stratified by parent-perceived self-weight and child weight status, and compared using Chi-squared tests and multivariate logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Most parents, regardless of perceived child weight, agreed that child overweight/obesity can cause serious illness (95%) but only one-half believed it was a problem in Georgia. Many (42.4%) failed to recognize obesity in their own children. More parents who perceived their child as overweight versus normal weight reported concern about their child's diet and activity and indicated readiness for lifestyle change. Parents' perception of their own weight had little additional impact.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  While awareness of child overweight as a modifiable health risk is high, many parents fail to recognize it in their own families and communities, reducing the likelihood of positive lifestyle change. Additional efforts to help parents understand their role in facilitating behavior change and to assist them in identifying at-risk children are required.
authors: Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, The George Washington University, 950 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA ; Graduate Division of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Laney Graduate School, Emory University, 201 Dowman Drive, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors: Allison C
authors: AC
authors: Sylvetsky-Meni
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine, 1760 Haygood Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA.
authors: Scott E
authors: SE
authors: Gillepsie
authors: Child Wellness Department, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, 1577 NE Expressway, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
authors: Trisha
authors: T
authors: Hardy
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Emory School of Medicine, 1760 Haygood Drive NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA ; Child Wellness Department, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, 1577 NE Expressway, Atlanta, GA 30329, USA.
authors: Jean A
authors: JA
authors: Welsh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D012649:Self Concept; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015431:Weight Loss