title: Preferred Child Body Size and Parental Underestimation of Child Weight in Mexican-American Families.
abstract: Objective To determine whether parents who prefer a heavier child would underestimate their child's weight more than those who prefer a leaner child. Methods Participants were Mexican-American families (312 mothers, 173 fathers, and 312 children ages 8-10) who were interviewed and had height and weight measurements. Parents reported their preferred child body size and their perceptions of their child's weight. Parents' underestimation of their child's weight was calculated as the standardized difference between parent's perception of their child's weight and the child's body mass index (BMI) z-score. Demographic factors and parental BMI were also assessed. Results Although 50 % of children were overweight or obese, only 11 % of mothers and 10 % of fathers perceived their children as being somewhat or very overweight. Multiple regressions controlling for covariates (parental BMI and child age) showed that parents who preferred a heavier child body size underestimated their children's weight more, compared to those who preferred a leaner child (β for mothers = .13, p < .03; β for fathers = .17, p < .03). Conclusions for Practice Parents who preferred a heavier child body size underestimated their child's weight to a greater degree than parents who preferred a leaner child. Attempts by pediatricians to correct parents' misperceptions about child weight may damage rapport and ultimately fail if the misperception is actually a reflection of parents' preferences, which may not be readily amenable to change. Future research should address optimal methods of communication about child overweight which take into account parent preferences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Lauri A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Pasch
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA. cpenilla@berkeley.edu.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Penilla
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Jeanne M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tschann
authors.affiliation: Division of General Pediatrics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanna M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Martinez
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Julianna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deardorff
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: de Groat
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Steven E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Gregorich
authors.affiliation: Department of Counseling, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Flores
authors.affiliation: Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Nancy F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Butte
authors.affiliation: Kaiser Permanente, San Francisco, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Louise C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Greenspan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D049628:Body Size; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000208:ethnology*; D010465:Perception; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
keywords: Children; Latino; Mexican-American; Pediatric obesity; Preferred body size