Parental Knowledge and Perception of Obesity and Effect on Feeding Behavior and Child's Weight Status

Childhood obesity is a significant public health problem that leads to poor health outcomes in affected children, including the potential for developing chronic diseases in adulthood if not addressed at an early stage. While there are several studies on childhood obesity, data on parental obesity knowledge and risk perception as it relates to feeding behavior and child weight outcome is inadequate. No data were found on the topic in Ohio, which has a high rate of childhood obesity and overweight. This study examined how parental obesity risk knowledge and risk perception influenced parental feeding behavior and children’s weight status in Northwest Ohio. The health belief model was the theoretical framework that underlined this study. The model was selected because it has been used for behavior change studies and interventions. A quantitative cross-sectional study was employed to examine the relationship between obesity knowledge and risk perception and how those influenced feeding behavior and a child’s weight status. Primary data were collected online through Google Forms using the Obesity Risk Knowledge scale and items from the Child Feeding Questionnaire. Participants were parents with children between 6 and 11 years who were residents in Northwest Ohio. The final sample size was 71. The results showed a statistically significant relationship between obesity risk knowledge, risk perception, and feeding behavior (p < .001). Also, the relationship between obesity risk knowledge, risk perception, and child weight status was statistically significant (p = .006). Findings will help create an obesity education tailored to community-specific needs and empower parents and guardians to make healthy food choices and monitor their children’s feeding in their schools.