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Table 1 Characteristics of the 125 overweight and obese children and their parents by the accuracy of the parental perception of the child's overweight status.

From: Factors associated with parental recognition of a child's overweight status - a cross sectional study

 

All overweight and obese children

Offspring's overweight status

 
 

n = 125

Is recognised

n = 51

Not recognised

n = 69

P 1

Mean age of the child, years (SD)

7.3 (0.3)

7.2 (0.3)

7.4 (0.3)

.024

Mean BMI of the child, kg/m2 (SD)

19.9 (2.0)

21.2 (2.5)

18.9 (1.0)

< .001

Mean age of the father, years (SD)

39.0 (5.4)

40.1 (5.8)

38.3 (5.0)

.090

Mean age of the mother, years (SD)

36.9 (5.1)

38.1 (4.3)

26.2 (5.6)

.044

Mean BMI of the mother, kg/m2 (SD)

25.2 (4.2)

25.8 (4.7)

24.7 (3.9)

.155

Mean BMI of the father, kg/m2 (SD)

27.2 (3.5)

27.5 (2.9)

27.0 (4.0)

.472

Girls n (%)

66/125 (52.8)

32/51 (62.7)

31/69 (44.9)

.053

Boys

59/125 (47.2)

19/51 (37.3)

38/69 (55.1)

 

Overweight father (BMI ≥ 25) n (%)

74/107 (69.2)

36/43 (83.7)

35/61 (57.4)

.004

Normal weight father

33/107 (30.8)

7/43 (16.3)

26/61 (42.6)

 

Overweight mother (BMI ≥ 25) n (%)

50/118 (42.4)

25/49 (51.0)

23/65 (35.4)

.094

Normal weight mother

68/118 (57.6)

24/49 (49.0)

42/65 (64.6)

 

Mother classifies her weight status correctly n (%)

101/116 (87.1)

41/48 (85.4)

59/65 (90.8)

.378

Mother classify her weight status incorrectly

15/116 (12.9)

7/48 (14.6)

6/65 (9.2)

 

Father classifies her weight status correctly n (%)

78/102 (76.5)

30/40 (75.0)

46/60 (76.7)

.848

Father classify her weight status incorrectly

24/102 (23.5)

10/40 (25.0)

14/60 (23.3)

 

Parents' are married or cohabiting % n (%)

109/124 (87.2)

40/51 (78.4)

65/69 (94.2)

.010

Divorced, widowed, unmarried

15/124 (12.1)

11/51 (21.6)

4/69 (5.8)

 

Heart disease in family % n (%)

84/120 (70.0)

30/50 (60.0)

51/66 (77.3)

.045

No heart disease in family

36/120 (30.0)

20/50 (40.0)

15/66 (22.7)

 

Father's education high school or higher n (%)

57/117 (48.7)

22/47 (46.8)

33/66 (50.0)

.738

Lower than high school

60/117 (51.3)

25/47 (53.2)

33/66 (50.0)

 

Mother's education high school or higher n (%)

85/123 (69.1)

35/51(68.6)

47/68 (69.1)

.954

Lower than high school

38/123 (30.9)

16/51 (31.4)

21/68 (30.9)

 
  1. Values are means (SD) for child and parent age and BMI, and n (percentages) of frequency data.
  2. 1 Independent t-test for continuous variables and χ 2 - test for frequency data.