Association between the parenting self-efficacy and anthropometric indexes in under 2-year-old children, Qazvin-Iran

Parenting self-efficacy (PSE) describes the beliefs and attitudes of parents on their capabilities to perform well on parenting tasks. Considering its direct relation to the physical and mental development of the children, we evaluated PSE in Iranian parents and investigated its potential effects on children's growth as a reflection of their self-regulation. This investigation was conducted in 2019 in Takestan, Iran, and aimed to assess PSE in 300 parents of children under 2 years old. Families filled out a demographic questionnaire and a PSE questionnaire containing 16 questions on efficacy, satisfaction, and interest using a Likert scale. Anthropometric variables of the children were also recorded. Normal scores for PSE were provided, and reliability coefficients for the questionnaire subscales were reported. We divided families into two groups based on desirable self-efficacy levels and analyzed differences in demographic and anthropometric variables between the groups. The mean scores of efficacy, satisfaction, and interest were 1.93, 3.09, and 2.02. There was no significant relationship between parents' employment status and children's weight, but a significant association was shown between living location (rural or urban) and children's weight. However, there was no significant association between living location and weight-for-height. Moreover, Weight-for-height of the children was not correlated with the PSE (p: 0.14). Parents living in Takestan-Iran experience lower PSE levels than in developed countries. We demonstrated no significant association between PSE scores and children's weight status. The studied population had lower PSE scores compared to advanced nations.