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Both parents' and children's perception of children's weight status may be important predictors of slimming and energy-balance related behaviours, independent of children's actual weight status.; We examined the cross-sectional association of children's self-reported slimming and energy-balance related behaviours with children's (i) actual, (ii) self-perceived and (iii) parent-perceived weight status.; Data of 10- to 12-year-old European children and their parents were used. Multilevel logistic and linear regression analyses were performed, adjusting for age, gender, parental weight controlling behaviours, education, marital status and ethnicity.; Independent of their actual weight status, a higher proportion of children reported slimming when they or their parents perceived them as too fat. Children's self-perceived weight status was more strongly associated with slimming than their parents' perception or their actual weight status. Moreover, children who perceive themselves as overweight reported less physical activity and more screen time. Children whose parents perceive them as overweight reported less physical activity.; Children's own perception of their weight status appears to be more important for their self-reported slimming than their actual or their parent's perceptions of their weight status. Additionally, children's self-perceived weight status seems important in engaging more physical activity and reduces screen time.

Background: Childhood obesity has increased dramatically during the past thirty years. Parents are key persons in their children’s lives and their efforts to create healthy lifestyles are very important. However, social and economic determinants of health also affect parents’ opportunities to promote a healthy lifestyle.Aims: To explore barriers and facilitators in promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing childhood obesity, focusing on parental roles.Methods and main findings: Three studies originated from the Identification and Prevention of Dietary- and Lifestyle-induced health Effects in Children and InfantS (IDEFICS) study of determinants for two to nine-year-old children’s health in eight European countries. The fourth study was a qualitative interview study conducted in southwest Sweden.Paper I: In focus group discussions (20 focus groups with children and 36 with parents), parents described lack of time, financial constraints, availability and food marketing techniques as barriers for promoting healthy eating. School policies about food varied; only Sweden and Estonia provided free school lunches. Children described great variation in the availability of unhealthy foods and beverages in their homes.Paper II: Objectively measured Body Mass Index (BMI) of children (n=16 220) were compared to parents’ perception of and concern for their children’s health and weight status. In all weight categories and all countries, a substantial proportion of parents failed to accurately judge their child’s weight status. In general, parents considered their children to be healthy, irrespective of their weight status. Parents of children with overweight or obesity systematically underestimated their children’s weight status across eight European countries. Accurate parental weight perception in Europe differed according to geographic region.Paper III: Swedish IDEFICS participants (n=1825) were compared with an age- and sex-matched referent population (n=1825), using registers from Statistics Sweden and the Swedish Medical Birth Register. Longitudinal child growth data (n=3650) were collected from child health centers and school health services. Families with low income, less education, foreign background or single parenthood were underrepresented in the IDEFICS study. BMI at inclusion had no selection effect but, at eight years of age, the obesity prevalence was significantly greater among referents.Paper IV: A qualitative content analysis was used to interpret the findings from interviews with nurses (n=15) working at child health centers in the southwest of Sweden. The BMI Chart to identify overweight and obesity in children facilitated greater recognition but nurses used it inconsistently, a barrier to prevention. Other barriers were obesity considered a sensitive issue and that some parents wanted overweight children.Conclusion: Parents may not perceive their child’s growth trajectory from overweight to obesity, and the preschool years may pass without effort to change lifestyle. Therefore, objective measurement and information of children’s BMI weight status by healthcare professionals is of great importance. To reach all parents and avoid selection bias, health surveys or health promoting activities must be tailored. Health promoting activities at the family level as well as the societal level should start early in children’s lives to prevent childhood obesity.

What is already known about this subject Overweight and obesity can be linked to different parental socioeconomic factors already in very young children. In Western developed countries, the associa ...

Summary Objective This study aimed to examine the association of television (TV) time, the frequency of meals while watching TV and the presence of TV set in the bedroom with total and abdominal obesity and to assess whether physical activity (PA) attenuates the obesity risk of TV viewing. Methods Cross-sectional data were obtained from 2200 adolescents (46% boys) from 10 European cities, The Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence study, between 2006 and 2007. TV viewing, PA (by accelerometry) and body composition were measured. Binary logistic regression analyses were performed. Results Even adjusting by vigorous PA, TV in the bedroom (odds ratio [OR]: 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.74) and >4 h d−1TV during week days (OR: 1.30, 95% CI, 1.02–1.67) (in boys) and eating every day with TV (OR: 1.18, 95% CI, 1.07–1.30) and >2 h d−1TV during weekend days (OR: 1.68, 95% CI, 1.25–2.26) (in girls) were significantly associated with total obesity. Likewise, in both sexes, having a TV set at bedroom was significantly associated with abdominal obesity. Conclusions Adolescents spending excessive TV time are prone to obesity independently of their PA levels. Families should put TV sets out of adolescents’ bedroom and keep TV sets off during meal times.