Objective
To investigate the factors associated with maternal underestimation of weight status of children under five years in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.
Methods
A population-based cross-sectional study involving 673 children under five years of age was carried out. Maternal perception of child's weight was assessed by the question: "What do you think about your child's current weight?". The child's nutritional status was determined in terms of body mass index-for age. Poisson regression was used at 5% significance level. Concordance analysis was performed using the Kappa test.
Results
Among the children studied, 1.6 % were lean, 87.7% eutrophic, and 10.7% overweight. Most mothers (66.0%) correctly classified the weight of their children, 5.2% overestimated it, and 28.8% underestimated it. Mothers of overweight children and those whose children were older than 24 months had a higher prevalence of underestimation of weight, whereas the overweight mothers and those with higher education level had a lower prevalence of underestimation of weight of their children. The correlation between maternal perception of the chil's weight and the actual child's nutritional status was 0.12 (p<0.001).
Conclusion
Maternal misperception of weight of children under five years was observed. Maternal underestimation of their child's weight was directly associated with age and nutritional status of the child, and it was inversely associated with maternal education level and nutritional status. More attention should be paid to these mothers in order to prevent excessive weight gain at this age and further harm to children's health.
Nutritional status; Infant; Mother; Weight perception; Child, preschool