title: The Evolution of Mothers' Beliefs About Overweight and Obesity in Their Early School-Age Children.
abstract: To identify changes in maternal beliefs, concerns, and perspectives about overweight and obesity in their children over a 2-year period.
  
  
  
  A total of 37 low-income English-speaking mothers of overweight or obese children participated in 2 semistructured interviews, separated by about 2 years. Mean child age was 5.9 years at baseline and 8.2 years at follow-up. Mother and child anthropometric data were obtained, and mothers completed demographic questionnaires at both time points. Mothers' interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative method for longitudinal patterns of change in their perspectives on childhood obesity across the 2 time points.
  
  
  
  Six longitudinal patterns of change in mothers' perspectives and beliefs were identified: 1) mothers' identification of a weight problem in their child emerges gradually, 2) mothers' level of concern about their child overeating increases, 3) mothers' concerns about consequences of obesity intensify and change over time, 4) mothers feel less control over their child's eating and weight, 5) mothers' efforts to manage eating and weight become more intentional, and 6) mothers are more likely to initiate conversations about weight as their child gets older.
  
  
  
  Mothers' concerns about children's weight and eating habits increased, and reported weight management strategies became more intentional over a 2-year period. Further research should consider attending to maternal perspectives on child weight and eating and their evolution in the development of family-based interventions for childhood obesity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Child Behavioral Health, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. Electronic address: pesch@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Megan H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Pesch
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
authors.forename: Kaitlin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Meixner
authors.affiliation: Appugliese Professional Advisors, North Easton, Mass.
authors.forename: Danielle P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Appugliese
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich; Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
authors.forename: Katherine L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Rosenblum
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich; Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
authors.forename: Alison L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: Division of Child Behavioral Health, Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich; Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich; Department of Nutrition Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lumeng
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D050177:Overweight; D063766:Pediatric Obesity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: longitudinal studies; mother–child relations; pediatric obesity; weight gain