Ethnic Differences in Parental Attitudes and Beliefs about Being Overweight in Childhood
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| Title: | Ethnic Differences in Parental Attitudes and Beliefs about Being Overweight in Childhood |
|---|---|
| Language: | English |
| Authors: | Trigwell, J., Watson, P. M., Murphy, R. C., Stratton, G., Cable, N. T. |
| Source: | Health Education Journal. Mar 2014 73(2):179-191. |
| Availability: | SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com |
| Peer Reviewed: | Y |
| Page Count: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | 2014 |
| Document Type: | Reports - Research Journal Articles |
| Descriptors: | Parent Attitudes, Questionnaires, Body Weight, Sampling, Minority Groups, Ethnicity, Correlation, Blacks, Whites, Asians, Physical Activities, Intervention, Foreign Countries, Indians, Health Behavior, Eating Habits, Children, Child Health |
| Geographic Terms: | United Kingdom |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0017896912471035 |
| ISSN: | 0017-8969 |
| Abstract: | Objective: This study examined the relationship between ethnic background and parental views of healthy body size, concerns surrounding overweight and attitudes to perceived causes of overweight in childhood. Method: A self-report questionnaire was designed to explore parental attitudes towards childhood weight. Sampling deliberately over-represented the views of parents from minority ethnic groups. Eight-hundred-and-eight parents of school-aged children completed the questionnaire. Parental data from Asian British, Black African, Black Somali, Chinese, South Asian, White British and Yemeni groups were included in the analysis. Results: Data showed that ethnic background was significantly associated with parental beliefs that overweight children will grow out of being overweight ("X"[superscript 2][12, "n" = 773] = 59.25, "p" < 0.001) and that overweight children can still be healthy ("X"[superscript 2][12, "n" = 780] = 25.17, "p" < 0.05). In both cases, agreement with the statements was highest among Black Somali parents. While the majority of parents believed that both dietary behaviours and physical activity played a role in the development of overweight in childhood, Yemeni parents were more likely to attribute overweight in childhood to dietary but not physical activity causes. Conclusion: Ethnic differences in parental perceptions of weight in childhood must be considered in the design of, and recruitment to, childhood obesity interventions aimed at minority ethnic groups. |
| Abstractor: | As Provided |
| Number of References: | 38 |
| Entry Date: | 2014 |
| Accession Number: | EJ1020645 |
| Database: | ERIC |
| Abstract: | Objective: This study examined the relationship between ethnic background and parental views of healthy body size, concerns surrounding overweight and attitudes to perceived causes of overweight in childhood. Method: A self-report questionnaire was designed to explore parental attitudes towards childhood weight. Sampling deliberately over-represented the views of parents from minority ethnic groups. Eight-hundred-and-eight parents of school-aged children completed the questionnaire. Parental data from Asian British, Black African, Black Somali, Chinese, South Asian, White British and Yemeni groups were included in the analysis. Results: Data showed that ethnic background was significantly associated with parental beliefs that overweight children will grow out of being overweight ("X"[superscript 2][12, "n" = 773] = 59.25, "p" < 0.001) and that overweight children can still be healthy ("X"[superscript 2][12, "n" = 780] = 25.17, "p" < 0.05). In both cases, agreement with the statements was highest among Black Somali parents. While the majority of parents believed that both dietary behaviours and physical activity played a role in the development of overweight in childhood, Yemeni parents were more likely to attribute overweight in childhood to dietary but not physical activity causes. Conclusion: Ethnic differences in parental perceptions of weight in childhood must be considered in the design of, and recruitment to, childhood obesity interventions aimed at minority ethnic groups. |
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| ISSN: | 0017-8969 |
| DOI: | 10.1177/0017896912471035 |
