Parents' perceptions about weights of their children

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to compare children’s actual weight status with their mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions. Method: In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 740 children in grades 1 to 5, 736 mothers and 712 fathers of these children were included. Children’s weight and height were measured and BMIs were calculated. Result: Children’s actual weight status 8% underweight and 20.1% overweight or obese was different from mothers’ and fathers’ perceptions p < 0.05 . Parents were more likely to perceive the actual weight as being underweight than as being overweight or obese. Factors such as parental age, parental body mass indexes, child gender, child age were not associated with parental ability to perceive their children weight status accurately. Conclusion: Most of the parents have not recognized the overweight or obesity in their children. Nurses should developed appropriate and effective strategies to help parents recognize their children’s actual weight status. Preventing the parental misperception about their overweight or obese children as underweight or healthy by education could lead to achievement of healthy life-styles regarding nutrition, physical activity and time spent for TV watching

Keywords

• Child,parent,weight,perception,pediatric nursing

Anne babaların çocuklarının kiloları hakkındaki algıları

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, çocukların ölçülen vücut ağırlığı durumları ile anne ve babalarının algılarının karşılaştırılması amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Yöntem: Bu kesitsel tanımlayıcı çalışmaya 1-5. sınıflardan 740 çocuk, 736 anne ve 712 baba dahil edilmiştir. Çocukları vücut ağırlıkları ve boy uzunlukları ölçüldükten sonar vücut kitle indeksleri hesaplanmıştır. Bulgular: Çocukların ölçülen vücut ağırlığı durumları %8 az kilolu and %20,1 obezite yönünden risk ya da obez annelerin ve babaların algılarından farklı bulunmuştur p < 0,05 . Ebeveynlerin çocuklarının gerçek vücut ağırlıklarını genellikle obezite yönünden risk ya da obez olma durumuna göre daha çok az kilolu olarak algıladıkları belirlenmiştir. Ebeveynin yaşı, ebeveynin vücut kitle indeksi, çocuğun cinsiyeti, çocuğun yaşı gibi faktörler ebeveynlerin çocuklarının vücut ağırlığı durumlarını doğru olarak algılama kabiliyetleriyle ilişkili bulunmamıştır. Sonuç: Çoğu ebeveyn çocuklarında obezite yönünden risk ya da obezite durumunu fark edememişlerdir. Hemşireler, ebeveynlerin çocuklarının gerçek vücut ağırlığı durumlarını anlamalarına yardımcı olmada uygun ve etkili stratejiler geliştirmelidirler. Ebeveynlerin obezite yönünden riskli ya da obez çocuklarını az kilolu ya da sağlıklı olarak yanlış algılamalarının eğitimle önlenmesi beslenme, fiziksel aktivite ve ekran karşısında geçirilen zamana yönelik sağlıklı yaşam stillerinin başarılmasında yol gösterici olabilir

Keywords

• Çocuk,anne baba,ağırlık. Algılama,pediatri hemşireliği

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