Annelerin Okul Öncesi Çocuklarının Ağırlığı ile İlgili Görüşleri ve Kendi Beden Algıları ile İlişkisi

Year 2024, Articles Online First, 1 - 9

Mine Erkan , Sevtap Velipaşaoğlu

https://doi.org/10.12956/tchd.1455850

Abstract

Amaç: Çocukların ağırlıklarının anneleri tarafından olduğundan düşük ya da yüksek olarak algılanması yanlış beslenme uygulamalarına ve sağlık sorunlarına yol açabilmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, annelerin çocuklarının ve kendilerinin ağırlıkları ile ilgili algılarını değerlendirmek ve bu algıları etkileyebilecek sosyodemografik faktörleri belirlemektir.

Gereç ve Yöntemler: Çalışma 2-5 yaş arasındaki 170 çocuk ve annesinin dahil edildiği kesitsel tipte bir araştırmaydı. Çalışma için annelerin ve çocukların boy ve ağırlıkları ölçüldü; annelere kendine ve çocuğuna dair algısını anlayabilmek için sözel (5’li Likert tipi ölçek) ve görsel ölçekler (çocuklar için Toddler Silhoutte Scale, anneler için Contour Drawing Rating Scale) içeren anketler uygulandı.

Bulgular: Çocukların boya göre ağırlık persentili arttıkça, annelerin çocuklarının ağırlığını sözlü ve görsel değerlendirmesindeki doğruluk oranı azaldı ve bu da onları çocuğun kilosunu hafife almaya daha yatkın hale getirdi. Sözel ölçekte zayıf, normal kilolu, fazla kilolu ve şişman çocukların annelerinin çocuklarını doğru şekilde tanımlama oranları sırasıyla %53.19, %71.72, %31.25 ve %0’dı. Görsel ölçekte ise bu değerler sırasıyla %72.34%, %54.55, %12.50 ve 0%’dı. Fazla kilolu ve şişman annelerin sözel ve görsel öz değerlendirme doğruluğu diğerlerine göre daha düşük saptandı. Sözel ve görsel ölçekte öz değerlendirme doğruluk oranları sırayla zayıf annelerde %100 ve %75, normal kilolu annelerde %75.36 ve %89.86, fazla kilolu annelerde %47.46 ve %32.20 ve şişman annelerde %34.21 ve %23.68 olarak saptandı. Annelerin kendi ağırlıklarına ilişkin algıları ile çocuklarının ağırlıkları arasında anlamlı bir ilişki tespit edilmedi.

Sonuç: Çocukların ağırlık durumlarının anneleri tarafından yorumlanmasında sorunlar olduğu saptandı. Annelerin yanlış algısını açıklayabilecek herhangi bir sosyodemografik risk faktörü tespit edemedik. Annelerin çocuğun ağırlığı ile ilgili sorunları algılayabilmesi ve bir sorun olarak dile getirmesi eksik olabileceği için çocuk hekimlerinin her başvuran çocuğun boy ve ağırlık ölçümünü yapmasını ve persentillerini değerlendirmesini öneririz.

Keywords

çocuk, Anne, okul öncesi, ağırlık algısı

Opinions of Mothers About the Weights of Their Preschool Children and Its Relationship with Their Own Body Perceptions

Abstract

Objective: Misperception of children’s weight status by their mothers, either lower or higher than it actually is, can lead to incorrect nutrition practices and health problems. This study aimed to evaluate mothers’ perceptions about their children’s weight and their own weight and determine the sociodemographic factors that may influence their perception.

Material and Methods: The research was a cross-sectional study involving 170 children aged 2-5 and their mothers. For the study, mothers’ and children’s heights and weights were measured; questionnaires containing verbal (5-point Likert type scale) and visual scales (Toddler Silhouette Scale for children, Contour Drawing Rating Scale for mothers) were administered to mothers to understand their perception of themselves and their children.

Results: As the children’s weight-for-height percentile increased, the mothers’ accuracy rate in verbal and visual assessment of their children’s weight decreased, making them more prone to underestimate the child’s weight. On verbal scale, mothers of underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese children had an accuracy rate of 53.19%, 71.72%, 31.25%, and 0%, respectively, in defining the children’s weight status. On visual scale, these rates were 72.34%, 54.55%, 12.50% and 0%, respectively. Overweight and obese mothers were less accurate than others at verbal and visual self-assessment of their own weight. Verbal and visual self-assessment accuracy rates were 100% and 75% in underweight mothers, 75.36% and 89.86% in mothers with normal weight, 47.46% and 32.20% in overweight mothers, and 34.21% and 23.68% in obese mothers. No significant relation was found between the mothers’ perceptions of their own weight and their children’s weights.

Conclusion: We observed problems related to their mothers’ interpretation of children’s weight status. We could not identify any sociodemographic risk factor that could explain the inaccurate perception of the mothers. Since mothers may not be able to perceive problems related to their child’s weight and express them as problems, we recommend that paediatricians measure each child’s height and weight and evaluate their percentiles.

Keywords

Child, mothers, preschool, weight perception

Thanks

We sincerely thank PhD Selen Bozkurt (Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA) for statistical analysis.

References

• Boutari C, Mantzoros CS. A 2022 update on the epidemiology of obesity and a call to action: as its twin COVID-19 pandemic appears to be receding, the obesity and dysmetabolism pandemic continues to rage on. Metabolism 2022;133:155-217.
• Hales CM, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Prevalence of Obesity and Severe Obesity Among Adults: United States, 2017-2018. NCHS Data Brief 2020;360:1-8.
• Jebeile H, Kelly AS, O’Malley G, Baur LA. Obesity in children and adolescents: epidemiology, causes, assessment, and management. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2022;10:351-65.
• Zewude B, Siraw G, Melese B, Habtegiorgis T, Hizkeal A, Tadele M. Beliefs About Body Weight and Practices of Regulating Food and Physical Exercise Patterns of Children Among Parents in Southern Ethiopia. Psychol Res Behav Manag 2022;15:1871-83.
• Mazurkiewicz A, Raczkowska E. The Connection between Knowledge and the Nutritional Behaviour of Parents and the Occurrence of Overweight and Obesity among Preschool Children-A Pilot Study. Nutrients 2024;16:174.
• Alshahrani A, Shuweihdi F, Swift J, Avery A. Underestimation of overweight weight status in children and adolescents aged 0-19 years: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Sci Pract 2021;7:760-96.
• Christofaro D, Andrade S, Fernandes R, Cabrera M, Rodríguez-Artalejo F, Mesas A. Overweight parents are twice as likely to underestimate the weight of their teenage children, regardless of their socio-demographic characteristics. Acta Paediatr 2016;105:474-9.
• Garcia ML, Crespo NC, Behar AI, Talavera GA, Campbell N, Shadron LM, et al. Examining Mexican-Heritage Mothers’ Perceptions of Their Children’s Weight: Comparison of Silhouette and Categorical Survey Methods. Child Obes 2020;16:44-52.
• García-Blanco L, Berasaluce A, Romanos-Nanclares A, Martínez-González MÁ, Moreno-Galarraga L, Martín-Calvo N. Parental perception of child’s weight, their attitudes towards child’s dietary habits and the risk of obesity. World J Pediatr 2022;18:482-9.
• Rietmeijer-Mentink M, Paulis WD, van Middelkoop M, Bindels PJ, van der Wouden JC. Difference between parental perception and actual weight status of children: a systematic review. Matern Child Nutr 2013;9:3-22.
• Ruiter ELM, Saat JJEH, Molleman GRM, Fransen GAJ, van der Velden K, van Jaarsveld CHM et al. Parents’ underestimation of their child’s weight status. Moderating factors and change over time: A cross-sectional study. PLoS One 2020;15:e0227761.
• Tabak RG, Schwarz CD, Haire-Joshu DL. Associations between feeding practices and maternal and child weight among mothers who do and do not correctly identify their child’s weight status. Obes Sci Pract 2017;3:51-8.
• Al-Mohaimeed AA. Parents’ perception of children’s obesity, in Al-Qassim, Saudi Arabia. J Family Community Med 2016;23:179-83.
• Abbas N, Rouaiheb H, Saliba J, El‑Bikai R. Childhood obesity: Facts and parental perceptions. World Acad Sci J 2023;5:38.
• Ramos Salas X, Buoncristiano M, Williams J, Kebbe M, Spinelli A, Nardone P, et al. Parental Perceptions of Children’s Weight Status in 22 Countries: The WHO European Childhood Obesity Surveillance Initiative: COSI 2015/2017. Obes Facts 2021;14:658-74.
• Rodrigues D, Machado-Rodrigues AM, Padez C. Parental misperception of their child’s weight status and how weight underestimation is associated with childhood obesity. Am J Hum Biol 2020;32:e23393.
• Gketsios I, Foscolou A, Vassilakou T, Panagiotakos DB, Kosti RI. Parental Misperceptions of Their Offspring’s Weight and Their Strategies for Child’s Eating Behavior: A Narrative Review of the Recent Evidence. Children (Basel) 2022;9:1565.
• Regber S, Novak M, Eiben G, Bammann K, De Henauw S, Fernández-Alvira JM et al. Parental perceptions of and concerns about child’s body weight in eight European countries - the IDEFICS study. Pediatr Obes 2013;8:118-29.
• Costa A, Hetherington MM, Oliveira A. Maternal perception, concern and dissatisfaction with child weight and their association with feeding practices in the Generation XXI birth cohort. Br J Nutr 2022;127:1106-16.
• Perez M, Kroon Van Diest AM, Smith H, Sladek MR. Body Dissatisfaction and Its Correlates in 5- to 7-Year-Old Girls: A Social Learning Experiment. J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol 2018;47:757-69.
• Thompson MA, Gray JJ. Development and validation of a new body-image assessment scale. J Pers Assess. 1995;64:258-69.
• Hager ER, McGill AE, Black MM. Development and validation of a toddler silhouette scale. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2010;18:397-401.
• Gregori D, Hochdorn A, Azzolina D, Berchialla P, Lorenzoni G. Does Love Really Make Mothers Blind? A Large Transcontinental Study on Mothers’ Awareness About Their Children’s Weight. Obesity 2018;26:1211-24. 
• Xiang C, Zhang Y, Yong C, Xi Y, Huo J, Zou H et al. Association between Parents’ Perceptions of Preschool Children’s Weight, Feeding Practices and Children’s Dietary Patterns: A Cross-Sectional Study in China. Nutrients 2021;13:3767.
• Yalçın SS, Serdaroğlu E, İnce OT. Parental perception and child’s nutritional status. Turk J Pediatr 2016;58:63-8.