Associations of Parent-Reported Family Functioning, Screen Time, and Adiposity with Child-Perceived Family Functioning: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objectives: Family functioning is a multidimensional relational context that has been associated with child health outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the associations of parent-reported family functioning, child adiposity (BMI-for-age z-score; BAZ), and parental and child screen time with child-perceived family functioning. Methods: This cross-sectional study enrolled 212 consecutive parent–child dyads (children aged 8–10 years) at the pediatric outpatient clinic of Bursa City Hospital (July–December 2024); 197 dyads with plausible anthropometric data were analyzed. Parents and children independently completed the Family APGAR. Height and weight were parent-reported, and BAZ was calculated using the WHO 2007 reference. Screen time was assessed with a single self-reported item on average daily hours. Multivariable linear regression with robust standard errors, adjusted for child age and sex and parental age, sex, and BMI, was used. Results: Twenty-three children (11.7%) had suboptimal Family APGAR scores. Parent Family APGAR score was positively associated with child Family APGAR score (B = 0.18; 95% CI 0.07–0.30; p = 0.001), and child BAZ was inversely associated with it (B = −0.21; 95% CI −0.37 to −0.06; p = 0.006). No statistically detectable association was observed for parental (B = −0.02; 95% CI −0.10 to 0.06) or child screen time (B = −0.07; 95% CI −0.21 to 0.07). The model explained 13.9% of the variance. Internal consistency of the child-reported Family APGAR was limited (ordinal α = 0.67). Conclusions: In this cross-sectional sample, child-perceived family functioning was associated with parent-reported family functioning and child BAZ, whereas no association was detected with screen time measured as a single duration item. The direction of these associations cannot be determined.