What do parents want for their children who are overweight when visiting the paediatrician?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether parental preferences regarding primary care weight‐management strategies differ by child age, gender, overweight severity, race/ethnicity or parental agreement that their child is overweight. METHODS: A survey was administered to parents of 2‐ to 18‐year‐old children who are overweight at an academic primary‐care clinic regarding perception of child overweight, helpful/harmfulness of having the child present during weight discussions, and dietary‐advice preferences. Multivariable analyses examined factors associated with preferred weight‐management strategies, after adjustment for parent/child characteristics. RESULTS: Eighty‐three per cent of parents agreed that a child's presence during weight discussions is helpful/very helpful, 74% that paediatricians should prescribe specific diets, and 55% preferred specific vs. general dietary advice only (N = 219). In multivariable analyses, characteristics associated with helpfulness of child presence included older child age (vs. 2–5 year olds, 6–11 year olds: odds ratio [OR], 4.6; 95% CI, 1.3–16; 12‐ to 18‐year‐olds: OR, 23; 95% CI, 4–136), male gender (OR, 5.0; 95% CI, 1.7–10) and obesity (vs. overweight: OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.7–12). Characteristics associated with preferring specific diets included Latino race/ethnicity (OR, 5.3; 95% CI, 3–12), older age (vs. 2–5 year olds, 6–11 year olds: OR, 2.8; 95% CI, 1.1–7; 12–18 year olds: OR, 3.7; 95% CI, 1.5–10) and agreement that the child is overweight (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1–5) and, for specific dietary advice, older age (vs. 2–5 year olds: OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.1–5) and agreement that the child is overweight (OR, 2.1; 95% CI, 1.2–4). CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that weight‐management strategies tailored to child age, gender, overweight severity, race/ethnicity and parental agreement that their child is overweight may prove useful in improving child weight status.