Parental Perception of Their Child’s Weight Status and Associated Demographic Factors

Abstract

The purpose of this cross-sectional descriptive study was to examine the accuracy of parental perception of their child’s weight status and describe characteristics of those who accurately and inaccurately perceive their child’s weight status.  This study utilized data from the CARDIAC project which spanned from 2006-2009. Chi-square analysis was used to determine relationships between parental perception of their child’s weight status and the child’s actual weight status.  Results indicate that parents have a higher level of accurate parental perception of their child’s weight status than in previous studies.