The role of parental health knowledge and practices in mitigating obesity risks among preschool children

Some studies are concerned about parental Knowledge and behaviours regarding their kids' obesity; however, few studies introduce a comprehensive framework of preschool children concerning parental health knowledge, attitude, and practice involving socioeconomic factors for predicting body mass index and body fat percentage. In our research, we considered families that only had one preschooler. Two hundred fifty-six families with a girl and 176 families with a boy participated in the survey conducted among both groups. One family with two children was not considered for this study. We considered structural equation modelling involving mediating analysis. The Body Mass Index (BMI) z-score and the Body Fat Percentage (BFP) were employed in this study to represent childhood obesity. The results showed that parental socioeconomic status has a positive relationship with the parents' KAP. Still, it has a negative relationship with the child's BMI z-score and the child's BFP. Furthermore, the effects were more pronounced in families that had a boy. The Parents' KAP also mediates the relationship between the P-SES and the child's BMI z-score and BFP. Furthermore, the relationships were found to be stronger among families that had a boy. This study highlights the significant impact of parental health knowledge, attitudes, and practices on the prevalence of obesity in preschool-aged children. The findings underline parents' essential role in shaping their children's health habits and outcomes, implying that focused interventions to educate and empower parents could be critical in preventing childhood obesity. Effective health education programs and supportive policies that raise parental Knowledge and encourage healthy habits can lead to significant advances in preventing and treating obesity in early childhood, promoting healthier generations to come.