Obesity and overweight among school children - parent′s perception versus reality

Childhood obesity has become a severe health problem for developing countries. Carrying out periodic screenings to identify the prevalence of obesity in a region is essential for assuring the effectiveness and efficiency of the measures adopted for preventing and combating obesity. Aim: Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of obesity of children from Timis oara, Romania, enrolled from preparatory one to fourth grade (6-11 years) as well as to assess the parent's perception of their own weight and the weight of their children. Material and methods: The present study was carried out over a period of 3 months (December 2021- February 2022), comprising a representative sample. The total number of the subjects was 385, who were children enrolled in preparatory-four classes/primary education (6-11 years; 184 girls 8.56±1.42 years; 201 boys 8.43±1.58 years) and their parents (334 mothers 38.88±4.57 years; 51 fathers 41.47±4.88 years). The research protocol consisted of applying a questionnaire and taking anthropometric measurements. Results: More than 31% of the studied children exceed the normal weight, with a percentage of 15.1% overweight and 16.1% obese. In our study there is a significant difference (x2=81.16; d=3; p< 0.0001) between the actual child's Body mass index classification and the body images chosen by the parents from the Children's Body Image Scale (CBIS). Thus, out of 120 overweight or obese cases, only 25 participants were correctly perceived. Therefore, we can state that only 20.8% of parents whose children exceed the normal weight chose a body image suitable for the child's actual weight status, therefore, perceived their children's body weight correctly. Conclusions: Summarizing the data within this study, we can conclude that one out of three primary school children in Timis oara is overweight or obese and many parents misperceived their children's weight status.