2024/11/14 by Elizabeth H. Evans, Bethany J. Ridley, Piers L. Cornelissen +3 · 1 voice
Health Professions · Medicine · Psychology · #Eating Disorders and Behaviors #Obesity and Health Practices #Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/bjhp.12765
openalex publication_date 2024/11/14 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
OBJECTIVES: Parents infrequently recognize childhood overweight/obesity and healthcare professionals (HCPs) also struggle to visually identify it, potentially limiting the offer and uptake of weight management support. This study examined perceptual and attitudinal/cognitive determinants of child weight judgements amongst parents and HCPs to identify targets for intervention. DESIGN: We used a mixed experimental design with parents and HCPs as the between-participants factor. Stimulus gender, age and BMI centile were the within-participant repeated measures factors. METHODS: One hundred and fifty-six HCPs and 249 parents of children aged 4-5 or 10-11 years viewed simulated child images. They estimated their relative size and categorized the weight status of each figure. Stimuli were photo-realistic figural scales based on 3D-scans of 4- to 5- and 10- to 11-year-old children varying in adiposity. Participants also reported their beliefs about causes, controllability and categorization of child weight. RESULTS: Both groups accurately estimated the figures' relative size. However, categorization of higher weight figures was poor, demonstrating a mismatch between perceptual judgements of size and categorization of weight status. Lower levels of comfort with assigning 'overweight' categorizations to children, and a stronger belief that weight was controllable by the child/parent, predicted less accurate weight status categorizations. CONCLUSIONS: Parental and HCP misperceptions when categorizing children's higher weight are related to attitudinal/cognitive factors, including reluctance to label a child's weight status as overweight and beliefs about whether a child's weight can be controlled by them or their family.