摘要：Background : Childhood obesity is on the increase in the Middle East. Aims : This study aimed to determine the prevalence of obesity in those aged six to eight years and to investigate maternal perception of child weight. Methods : A nation-wide study of data on height and weight were obtained from nurses’ records, and maternal perceptions were assessed through a self-administered questionnaire. Sample size comprised 2208 individuals with BMI measurements and 1002 with BMI and maternal perception data. Results : The prevalence of overweight and obese children combined was 40.9% as per WHO cut-off values and 39.7% as per Centres for Disease Control and Prevention categorizations. We also found that 77.9% of overweight and 45.4% of obese children were perceived by their mothers to have healthy body weights. Additionally, 39.8% of children with normal weight were also judged by their mothers to be underweight. Conclusions : An alarmingly high prevalence of childhood obesity among Kuwaiti children, coupled with mothers distorted perception of their child’s actual weight status is a serious concern that requires urgent public health intervention.
关键词：obesity; maternal perception; body image; children; Kuwait
