Nutrients 2013, 5, 3713-3729; doi:10.3390/nu5093713 OPEN ACCESS
nutrients ISSN 2072-6643 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients Project Report
Childhood Overweight/Obesity and Pediatric Asthma: The Role of Parental Perception of Child Weight Status Salma M. A. Musaad 1, Katie N. Paige 2, Margarita Teran-Garcia 2,3, Sharon M. Donovan 2,3, Barbara H. Fiese 1,* and the STRONG Kids Research Team 4 1
2
3
4
Family Resiliency Center, Department of Human and Community Development, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, 904 W. Nevada, MC-081, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; E-Mail:
[email protected] Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA; E-Mails:
[email protected] (K.N.P.);
[email protected] (M.T.-G.);
[email protected] (S.M.D.) Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA The STRONG Kids Team includes Kristen Harrison, Kelly Bost, Brent McBride, Sharon Donovan, Diana Grigsby-Toussaint, Juhee Kim, Janet Liechty, Angela Wiley, Margarita Teran-Garcia and Barbara Fiese
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +1-217-244-3967; Fax: +1-217-333-7772. Received: 2 July 2013; in revised form: 13 August 2013 / Accepted: 4 September 2013 / Published: 23 September 2013
Abstract: Childhood obesity and asthma are on the rise in the U.S. Clinical and epidemiological data suggest a link between the two, in which overweight and obese children are at higher risk for asthma. Prevention of childhood obesity is preferred over treatment, however, in order to be receptive to messages, parents must perceive that their child is overweight. Many parents do not accurately assess their child’s weight status. Herein, the relation between parental perceptions of child weight status, observed body mass index (BMI) percentiles, and a measure of child feeding practices were explored in the context of asthma, food allergy, or both. Out of the children with asthma or food allergy that were classified as overweight/obese by BMI percentiles, 93% were not perceived as overweight/obese by the parent. Mean scores for concern about child weight were higher in children with both asthma and food allergy than either condition alone, yet there were no significant differences among the groups in terms of pressure to eat and
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restrictive feeding practices. In summary, parents of children with asthma or food allergy were less likely to recognize their child’s overweight/obese status and their feeding practices did not differ from those without asthma and food allergy. Keywords: childhood obesity; pediatric asthma; food allergy; parental perception
1. Introduction Childhood obesity is estimated at 17% in the United States [1]. The increase in childhood obesity has been linked to the increasing prevalence of related comorbidities, such as type 2 diabetes and asthma. The number of diagnosed cases of childhood asthma (
