Parents' Efficacy for Child Healthy Weight Behavior in Elementary Schools in Hilla City

Abstract

Objectives: The study aims to (1) Assess the parents' efficacy for child healthy weight behavior. (2) Identify the difference in parents’ efficacy for child healthy weight behavior between the groups of parent’s gender, family’s socioeconomic status, child’s gender, and child’s birth order, (3) Find out the relationship between parents’ age, child’s age, child’s body mass index, family’s socioeconomic status, the number of children in the family and parents’ efficacy for child healthy weight behavior.Methodology: A descriptive correlational study is conducted for the period from November 11th, 2018 to March 25th, 2019 to assess the parents' efficacy for child healthy weight behavior. The study was carried-out in (30) primary schools that were selected through a simple random sampling of (125) schools from Hilla City. The instruments was composed of two parts , the first part was the demographic data and the second part was the Parent Efficacy for Child Healthy Weight Behavior (PECHWB) Scale, it consists of 41 items based on Australian guidelines for healthy weight behaviors. The validity of the instrument was achieved by eleven experts. Data were collected for the period from January 10th to March 5th, 2019. Data were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 24. Results: The study results revealed that most of pupils eat three or more serves of fruit and vegetables per day, minimize high fats and sugar intake, engaging in one hour of physical activity per day, and being no more than two hours in sedentary behavior per day on holidays/vacations and on weekends. Furthermore, they minimize high fats and sugar intake and eat healthy snacks on their demands/request. Moreover, they do not minimize high fats and sugar intake and eat healthy snacks when they are stressed or in bad mood and when they complain. Recommendations: The researcher recommends establishing health activities that aim to raise the public’s awareness of fostering healthy lifestyle and behaviors for their children