Parents perception of weight status of Mexican preschool children using different tools

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability of parents to estimate the weight status of preschool children attending the Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social (IMSS) day-care centers using three different tools. A total of 100 parent-child pairs attending to all the existing IMSS day-care centers in Ensenada (n=9) completed a questionnaire on the perception of children’s weight status using verbal description, sketches, and pictures. Chi squared test and univariate logistic regression was applied to assess the difference in perception between the tools used, the factors associated with the weight status perception and to identify predictors of parental underestimation of their child’s weight. The sample size was estimated for a significance level of 0.05 with statistical power of 80%. No significant differences were found in the perception of weight status using different tools. The parents’ underestimation of the child’s weight status ranged from 51 to 59%, this percentage jumps to 79 to 84% in overweight children and 82 to 91% in obese children. Being a young mother and having a daughter increased the risk of underestimation. Higher odds of underestimation were found in > 2BMI z-score. The high underestimation found in this study shows that the ability of parents in signaling an alert to prevent childhood obesity might be highly reduced and preventive health programs should include increasing the weight status perception. El objetivo de este estudio es evaluar la habilidad de los padres para estimar el peso corporal de niños preescolares que acuden a guarderías del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social utilizando tres instrumentos diferentes. Un total de 100 parejas padre-hijo que acudían a todas las guarderías del IMSS en Ensenada (n=9) completó un cuestionario acerca de la percepción del peso corporal utilizando descripción verbal, pictogramas y fotografías. Se usó la prueba de Ji cuadrada y regresión logística univariada para valorar la diferencia en la percepción entre los instrumentos utilizados, los factores asociados con la percepción del peso corporal y para identificar los predictores de la subestimación por parte de los padres del peso corporal de sus hijos. El tamaño de la muestra se estimó para un nivel de significancia de 0.05 con un poder estadístico del 80%. No se encontraron diferencias significativas en la percepción del peso con el uso de las diferentes herramientas. La subestimación de los padres del peso de los niños con las difer