Maternal Perception of School-age Children's Weight in Piedras Negras, Coahuila: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Aim: To analyze mother’s perception of children’s weight and its relationship with sex, age, schooling level, weight, and perimeters of hip and waist, as well as concordance analysis between mother’s perception of BMI categories and actual BMI categories and the evaluation of body size satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted including all students from fourth to sixth grades in an elementary school. Anthropometric measurements as weight and high were taken. Body mass index percentiles and actual weight categories were obtained. To evaluate perception of body image the CBIS template was used. Descriptive and inferential analysis of results, were performed. Results: A total of 164 children were studied being women 53.7 percent. Maternal perception of children’s body weight showed high magnitude of perceived children in normal weight. Significant difference was found between maternal perception of children's weight and the variable of sex. Concordance between mother’s perception of BMI and actual BMI was of 0.45 and 0.37 for girls and 0.53 for boys. Body size satisfaction perceived by mothers was high and occurred mainly at expenses of the perception of children’s normal weight. Discussion: The results suggest that mothers tend to classified correctly children’s body weight regarding the category of normal weight and perceived in higher proportion overweight among girls and obesity among boys. Frequency of body size satisfaction perceived by mothers was high and occurred mainly at expenses of normal weight. Mothers underestimate their children’s weight in cases of overweight and obesity and overestimate those with low weight.