title: Mothers' conceptions about excess weight in infancy and the nutritional status of their children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze maternal conceptions about excess weight in infancy and the nutritional status of their preschool-aged children.
  
  
  METHODS
  A mixed, exploratory study was performed using semi-structured interviews. Two study groups were defined: a group of 16 mothers of children with excess weight and a group of 15 mothers of eutrophic children. The interviews were submitted to content analysis using CHIC software (Classification Hiérarchique Implicative et Cohésitive¯).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mothers of children with excess weight tended to conceive thin children as malnourished, while those of normal weight children emphasized the influence of family and genetics as determinants of a child's nutritional status. Although there was a certain consensus among the mothers that an unhealthy diet contributes to the risk of a child developing excess weight, the concept of genetics as a determinant of a child's nutritional status was also present in the dialogue from the mothers of both groups. This result indicates a lack of clarity regarding the influence of eating behavior and family lifestyle on weight gain and the formation of a child's eating habits. Both groups indicated that the mother has a decisive role in the eating habits of her child; however, the mothers of children with excess weight did not seem to take ownership of this concept when addressing the care of their own children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Differences in conceptions, including taking ownership of care, may contribute to the development of excess weight in preschool-aged children.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento Saúde Materno-Infantil, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.|Faculdade de Ciências da Saúde do Trairi da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte/RN, Brazil.
authors.forename: Janaína Paula Costa
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento Saúde Materno-Infantil, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vicente
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sarubbi
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento Saúde Materno-Infantil, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Viviane Gabriela
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Taubaté, Departamento de Medicina, Taubaté/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ciro João
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Bertoli
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento Saúde Materno-Infantil, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paulo Rogério
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Gallo
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Departamento Saúde Materno-Infantil, São Paulo/SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leone
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D009035:Mothers; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult