The Role of Mothers’ Varied Parenting Styles in Childhood Obesity

Year 2024, Volume: 16 Issue: 3, 217 - 224, 29.10.2024

Cengiz Yüksel , Nehir Yüksel , Ferruh Niyazi Ayoğlu , Bilgehan Açıkgöz

https://doi.org/10.18521/ktd.1528072

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of mothers' democratic, authoritarian, permissive, and overprotective parenting styles in childhood obesity and mothers' perception of their children's body weight.
Method: The research was cross-sectional in design, and a total of 94 children aged between two and six years were included, together with their mothers. Mothers were administered the Parental Attitude Scale, and children's Body Mass Index (BMI) was classified using age- gender-specific tables of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF). The effect of mothers' parental attitudes on their children's BMI groups was evaluated. However, mothers matched their child's appearance to the appearance they thought corresponded to the age and gender-specific weight plot and mothers' weight perceptions were evaluated.
Results: The prevalence of overweight-obesity among children was found to be 19.2%. There wasn’t statistically difference between democratic, authoritarian, overprotective and permissive parenting styles and BMI categories of children (p=0.819, p=0.878, p=0.319, p=0.494). The mothers of overweight-obese children perceived their children as significantly overweight compared to other children (p<0.001), they associated their overweight-obese children with the normal body weight imagery. Mothers of children with a normal body weight also selected thinner child images to represent their own child.
Conclusion: Mothers of children with normal body weight and overweight-obese BMI, perceived their children's body weight as thinner than it actually was. It’s recommended that mothers' perceptions of their children's body weight be assessed in well-child clinics. In cases where these perceptions are inaccurate, mothers should be informed and provided with educational materials.

Keywords

Parenting style, pediatric obesity, weight perception

Çocukluk Çağı Obezitesinde Annelerin Farklı Ebeveyn Tutumlarının Rolü

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı annelerin demokratik, otoriter, izin verici ve aşırı korumacı ebeveyn tutumlarının çocukluk çağı obezitesindeki rolünü ve annelerin çocuklarının kilo durumuna ilişkin algısını değerlendirmektir.
Metot: Araştırma kesitsel tipte olup, 2-6 yaş arası 94 çocuk anneleriyle birlikte çalışmaya dahil edildi. Annelere Ebeveyn Tutum Ölçeği uygulandı ve çocukların Beden Kitle İndeksi (BKİ), Uluslararası Obezite Çalışma Grubu'nun yaşa ve cinsiyete özel tabloları kullanılarak sınıflandırıldı. Annelerin ebeveyn tutumlarının, çocuklarının BKİ grupları üzerindeki etkisi değerlendirildi. Aynı zamanda anneler, çocuklarının görünümünü, yaşa ve cinsiyete özel ağırlık çiziminde, karşılık geldiğini düşündükleri görünümle eşleştirdi. Annelerin kilo algıları değerlendirildi.
Bulgular: Çocukların %19,2'si fazla kilolu-obez olarak sınıflandırıldı. Annelerin demokratik, otoriter, aşırı korumacı ve izin verici ebeveyn tutumları ile çocukların BKİ kategorileri arasında anlamlı fark bulunmadı (p=0,819, p=0,878, p=0,319, p=0,494). Fazla kilolu-obez çocukların anneleri, çocuklarını diğer çocuklara göre anlamlı derecede kilolu olarak algılamakla birlikte (p<0,001), fazla kilolu-obez çocuklarını normal kilo çizimi ilişkilendirdiler. Benzer durum, normal ağırlıktaki çocukların annelerinde de görülmüş olup çocuklarını olduklarından daha zayıf çocuk çizimleri ile eşleştirdiler.
Sonuç: Annelerin ebeveyn tutumlarının, çocuklarının BKİ kategorileri üzerinde etkisi olmadığı görüldü ancak normal ve fazla kilolu-obez çocukların annelerinin, çocuklarını olduğundan daha zayıf görme eğiliminde olduğu saptandı. Sağlam çocuk kliniklerinde annelerin kilo algıları değerlendirilmelidir, hatalı algılamaları durumunda anneler bilgilendirilmeli, konuyla ilgili eğitim broşürleri verilmelidir.

Keywords

Ebeveyn tutumu, pediatrik obezite, kilo algısı

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