A cluster randomised trial testing an intervention to improve parents’ recognition of their child’s weight status: study protocol

Gledhill

British J Health Psychol

et al. 2016

Objectives: There has been a steady rise in obesity levels in Western countries and a contributory factor is people's failure to recognise weight gain. Two important visual perceptual biases, which have hitherto been ignored in the obesity literature, could contribute to this problem; contraction bias and Weber's law. Contraction bias predicts that the weight of obese bodies will be under-estimated and the degree of underestimation will increase as body mass index (BMI) increases. Weber's law predicts that change in the body size will become progressively harder to detect as their BMI increases. Methods:In Experiment 1, twenty-nine women participants estimated the weight of 120 women varying in their body mass. In Experiment 2, twenty-eight women participants judged which body was the heavier in a 2-alternative forced choice paradigm. Results:In Experiment 1, as predicted the participants showed a progressive underestimation of over-weight and obese bodies, β1 = 0.71, t = 26.96, p < .0001. For Experiment 2, there was a significant effect of the BMI of the bodies being judged on the just noticeable difference needed to discriminate between them: F(1,196) = 89.39, p < .0001 for 3D bodies and F(1,86.5) = 44.57, p < .0001 for digital photographs. Conclusions:Normal visual perceptual biases influence our ability to determine body size: contraction bias and Weber's law mean that as bodies become overweight and obese it is harder to judge their weight and detect any increase in size. These effects may therefore compromise people's ability to recognise weight gain and undertake compensatory weight control behaviours.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual biases in judging body weight

Gledhill

British J Health Psychol

et al. 2016

Journal of Public Health

“…They have been created in two formats and have been tested, as part of an intervention (MapMe), to examine their impact on parental recognition of childhood overweight and child weight status 12 months post-intervention. 27 The BIS could be utilized in further childhood obesity related research to obtain data from families and health professionals on their knowledge, perceptions and estimates of child body size which can be corresponded to a known weight category and/or BMI range. The BIS could be added to national epidemiological surveys as a proxy for weight status alongside reports of height and weight.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of the MapMe intervention body image scales of known weight status for 4–5 and 10–11 year old children

Jones

Tovée

Cutler

et al. 2017

BackgroundParents tend to visually assess children to determine their weight status and typically underestimate child body size. A visual tool may aid parents to more accurately assess child weight status and so support strategies to reduce childhood overweight. Body image scales (BIS) are visual images of people ranging from underweight to overweight but none exist for children based on UK criteria. Our aim was to develop sex- and age-specific BIS for children, based on British growth reference (UK90) criteria.MethodsBIS were developed using 3D surface body scans of children, their associated weight status using UK90 criteria from height and weight measurements, and qualitative work with parents and health professionals.ResultsHeight, weight and 3D body scans were collected (211: 4–5 years; 177: 10–11 years). Overall, 12 qualitative sessions were held with 37 participants. Four BIS (4–5-year-old girls and boys, 10–11-year-old girls and boys) were developed.ConclusionsThis study has created the first sex- and age-specific BIS, based on UK90 criteria. The BIS have potential for use in child overweight prevention and management strategies, and in future research. This study also provides a protocol for the development of further BIS appropriate to other age groups and ethnicities.

Journal of Pediatric Nursing

“…Inaccurate parental messages about body size are explained in two ways. First, parents of overweight/obese children often have misconceptions of their body size and deliver inaccurate messages about their child’s body size (Parkinson et al, 2015). Second, there is a social stigma to obesity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding How Overweight and Obese Emerging Adults Make Lifestyle Choices

Cha

Crowe

Braxter

et al. 2016

Purpose To better understand health-related decision making among overweight and obese emerging adults. Design and Methods A cross-sectional design was used in the parent study involving overweight and obese emerging adults, ages 18–29 years. The goal of the parent study was to screen participants’ diabetes risk and identify characteristics of emerging adults with prediabetes (N = 107). A sub-sample of respondents (n = 34) from the parent study were invited to participate in focus group interviews depending on whether they had prediabetes (three groups) or they did not have prediabetes (four groups). Each focus group interview lasted 90–120 minutes following a semi-structured interview guide. Conventional content analysis was used in the data analysis. Because of the similarities between participants with and without prediabetes, the findings were synthesized and reported in the aggregate. Moreover, during the analysis, the authors decided that Rational Choice Theory provided a useful organizing structure for presenting the data. Results Emerging adults’ behavioral decisions were rational reactions to their personal competence, perception of health, environment, and availability of resources to handle problems. Trade-offs calculation and estimations of resource availability were often used when making decisions. Conclusions Emerging adults choose unhealthy behaviors due to inaccurate information and insufficient competence to practice healthy lifestyles rather than because of laziness or being irrational.