Parent Belief that Young Child is Obese Could Lead to Greater Incidence of Obesity Later in Life
The parents of children with weight problems often have trouble recognizing their child’s weight status, but according to a new study “Parental Perception of Weight Status andWeight Gain Across Childhood,” parental awareness of obesity may actually contribute to it in their children.
Researchers found that contrary to popular belief, if a parent perceives their child as being “overweight” this is not a protective factor against weight gain and is instead associated with increased risk of future weight gain across childhood.
Researchers in Australia followed 3,557 children from age 4/5 to age 12/13, taking a BMI assessment and asking parents to assess their own child’s weight status. Independent of the actual weight of the child, the study showed that children whose parents perceived their weight as being overweight gained more weight in follow-up analysis.
Researchers suggest that the stigma of being viewed as “overweight” or “obese” may create stress that results in maladaptive coping responses that lead to weight gain but conclude that research is required to understand how parental perceptions impact obesity in youth.