Mothers' conceptions about excess weight in infancy and the nutritional status of their children

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:To analyze maternal conceptions about excess weight in infancy and the nutritional status of their preschool-aged children.METHODS:A mixed, exploratory study was performed using semi-structured interviews. Two study groups were defined: a group of 16 mothers of children with excess weight and a group of 15 mothers of eutrophic children. The interviews were submitted to content analysis using CHIC software (Classification Hiérarchique Implicative et Cohésitive®).RESULTS:The mothers of children with excess weight tended to conceive thin children as malnourished, while those of normal weight children emphasized the influence of family and genetics as determinants of a child’s nutritional status. Although there was a certain consensus among the mothers that an unhealthy diet contributes to the risk of a child developing excess weight, the concept of genetics as a determinant of a child’s nutritional status was also present in the dialogue from the mothers of both groups. This result indicates a lack of clarity regarding the influence of eating behavior and family lifestyle on weight gain and the formation of a child’s eating habits. Both groups indicated that the mother has a decisive role in the eating habits of her child; however, the mothers of children with excess weight did not seem to take ownership of this concept when addressing the care of their own children.CONCLUSION:Differences in conceptions, including taking ownership of care, may contribute to the development of excess weight in preschool-aged children.

The Indirect Effect of Family Cohesion on Children’s Weight Status Through Maternal Quality of Life and Children’s Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms

“…In children/adolescents with overweight/obesity they were measured by the nutritionist whereas for children/adolescents with healthy-weight these data were self-reported. This could prevent accurate answers regarding these measures in the healthy-weight group, specifically taking into account that research has found that mothers can be unreliable at reporting their child's weight (Aparício et al, 2013;Silva, Junior, Nascimento, Bertoli, & Gallo, Leone, 2016).…”