title: Parental attitude towards healthy weight screening/counselling for their children by dentists.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To obtain information about parental attitude towards healthy weight screening/counselling during dental visits of their children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted at the King Saud University College of Dentistry Interns Clinic at Darraiyah University Campus, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from October to December 2013, and comprised a sample of 6-to-11-year-old children and their parents. A questionnaire was used to record height/weight data, history of body weight counselling and parental opinion regarding healthy weight screening and counselling. SPSS 17 was used for data analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 61 children, 35(57.4%) were boys and 26(42.6%) were girls. The overall mean age was 7.9±1.7 years (range: 6-11 years). Besides, 40(65.6%) children were accompanied by their fathers and 21(34.4%) by their mothers. Overall 13(21.3%) children were overweight and 7(11.5%) obese. Moreover, 54(88.5%) parents found the healthy weight screening and counselling for their children valuable, whereas 46(75.4%) endorsed the screening/counselling during the dental visit of their children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most parents found healthy weight screening and counselling to be valuable, and endorsed its administration during dental visits for their children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, King Saud University College of Dentistry, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Amjad Hussain
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Wyne
authors.affiliation: Continuing Medical Education, Huraymila Hospital, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Bander Abdul
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Rahman Al-Neaim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Faisal Mohammad
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Al-Aloula
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003376:Counseling; D003752:Dental Health Services; D003815:Dentists; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D050177:Overweight / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D010290:Parents; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Obesity, Children, Dentists, Parents, Attitude.