Nutritional status of children and their mothers' perception : A population-based approach

The purpose of this study was to investigate the correspondence between nutritional status of children aged 7-10 years (NS) and mother´s perception of their children’s weight (MP).A cross-seccional survey was conducted among 1282 children in an urban area of Brasil. Weight and height were measured and BMI percentiles were calculated. MP was assessed from 4 possible conditions (thin or very thin, normal, weight above and very much above normal). Kappa test (K) was used to evaluate the correspondence between NS and MP. Regression analyses were conducted. The prevalence of overweight and low weight was 23.2% and 5.7%, respectively. One half of mothers related that their children were “below the weight” (thin or very thin), 61.2% said that their children were "normal", 11.8% said that their children were “above normal weight” and 1.1% were considered “very much above normal weight” by their mothers. The highest and lowest correspondence between children’s NS and MP were the ones concerning the conditions of low weight (72.6%) and of much above normal weight (10.4%), respectively (Kappa=0,217, p<0,000). Low correspondence levels between the NS of the children and their physical image reported by mothers, especially between the ones classified as obese were observed. Gender and ethnicity showed significant association with mother’s perception, even after controlling for other variables.  Our findings demonstrated influence of ethnicity and gender on the MP. Interventions to improve the nutritional status of children must take into account mother’s perception of their children’s nutritional status.