Chinese parental perceptions of weight and associated health risks of young children

A mixed method was employed to determine how caregivers view preschool children's body size and associated health risks. A survey of 505 caregivers was nested in 10 in-depth case studies of mothers. Based on the International Obesity Task Force calculation of children's weight status, the caregivers who had underweight children overestimated their children's weight status but the caregivers who had overweight/obese children underestimated their children's weight status. Their estimates were substantially different from those of the caregivers of normal weight children. The mothers' thoughts revealed the complexity of beliefs and sociocultural experiences about weight preferences and affirmed the quantitative findings.