Predictors of Maternal Perception about Weight of her Child with Overweight-Obesity

Abstract

Several predictors of a maternal perception of her child's weight (MPCW) when the child is overweigh-obese (OW-OB) were identified. Participants: 2,842 mothers and children who reside in Mexico's northeastern region, 951 mothers had an OW-OB child. The MPCW was evaluated for words (PW) and images (PI). PW, 63.71\% and 74.9\% of the mothers with an OW-OB child, did not perceive the child's weight adequately and PI, 27\% and 10.99\%. Through Logistic Regression Analysis, a model for PW was x(2) = 152.05, gl = 9, p = 0.001, 21.5\% explained variance; and for PI x(2) = 192.35, gl = 9, p = 0.001, 31.9\% explained variance. The child's age, a doctor's report that the child had OW, were some variables that contributed to the models. We concluded that mothers with OW-OB children do not adequately perceive this situation. We emphasize the importance of reporting of a child's OW-OB condition.