Parents’ perception and level of readiness to change toward childhood obesity and overweight in Riyadh

AbstractBackground:Childhood obesity is considered one of the most prevalent health problems in Saudi Arabia. When attempting to prevent such a problem, parents’ perceptions of their child’s weight status are critical factors to consider.Objectives:This research aimed to understand parents’ perception and level of readiness to bring change to mitigate childhood obesity and overweight in Riyadh.Materials and Methods:This is a cross-sectional study conducted in primary schools of National Guard Housing Compounds in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. In this study, 320 primary school children of both genders and their parents were recruited. Measurements of weight and height and the body mass index (BMI) percentile were done, and the questionnaire was distributed to be filled out by their parents. Items of the questionnaire included demographic information about the parents and their perceptions of the child’s weight status, their beliefs toward obesity, their assessment of dietary and physical activity, and their level of readiness to change the child’s diet and physical activity.Results:A total of 28% of parents misperceive their children to be overweight or obese. Furthermore, parents with a higher BMI have children with a higher BMI, and the relationship was found to be statistically significant (p-value of 0.05) for fathers and (p-value of 0.01) for mothers. Moreover, the parental belief that spending more screen time is the cause of childhood obesity was also found to be significantly associated with the higher BMI status of the child at a P value of 0.02. Furthermore, with a P value of 0.001, parental readiness to change the diet and physical activity of children is significantly associated with an improved lifestyle in children.Conclusions:The parents included in the current study demonstrated a higher level of readiness to make positive changes in the diet of their children as well as improve their physical activity. These findings provide hope for involving parents in the prevention of childhood obesity in Saudi Arabia.