The non perception of obesity can be an obstacle to the role of mothers in taking care of their children

The goal of this study is to review articles in the scientific literature investigating the role of mothers, fathers and relatives in the treatment of obesity of their children. A search for original articles was conducted in the BIREME (BVS), PUBMED (MEDLINE) and Scielo platforms from 2004 to 2010, using the key words "the role of parents" and "childhood obesity," "the role of parents" and "child obesity treatment," "the mother's role" and "childhood obesity," "the mothers role" and "child obesity treatment." Twenty papers were selected and divided into two thematic categories. It was revealed that there are implications of the role of family, namely the father or mother, on the obesity of children, and more specifically related to the role of mothers. The conclusion drawn is that the role of parents and relatives is fundamental in promoting healthy behavior and lifestyles. Distorted maternal perception leads to excess weight being perceived as normal and this may prejudice treatment of child obesity. Acknowledging that the children are overweight most probably promotes greater acceptance of the need for treatment, in addition to being the necessary impetus for seeking professional assistance.