Comparing Low-income Mothers' and Fathers' Concern for Young Children'sWeight

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to compare the relationship of mother and father (1) perceived child weight and child bodymass index (BMI) z-score, (2) concern for child's currentweight and child BMI z-score, and (3) concern for child's future weight and child BMI z-score. Design and Methods: This cross-sectional study included low-incomemothers (n=30) and fathers (n=30) with a young child (3 to 10 years old) from the same household. Each parent completed select items from the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) with a trained interviewer. Child BMI z-score was calculated. Results: Therewas a significant, positive relationship between fathers' perceived childweight and child BMI z-score (p= 0.006) and between fathers' concern for a child's futureweight and child BMI z-score (p=0.001) but notamongmothers. Conclusions: Cohabitating low-income parents of young children may have conflicting appraisals of their child's BMI zscore and concerns for their child's future weight, and low-income fathers may be more accurate and concerned about their children's weight. Practice Implications: Based on findings from this study, healthcare providers including physicians and nurses should attempt to include fathers in discussions regarding their child's weight for obesity prevention, especially in low-income families. (C) 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.