Association of parents’ body esteem and BMI with children body esteem and BMI: Study from Turkey

INTRODUCTION: Childhood obesity is associated with psychosocial and medical comorbidities. While children affected by obesity have significantly lower self-esteem than children with normal weight, families have an important role in the development of body image and body dissatisfaction. It is aimed to examine the relationship between body esteem of obese children with the parents’ body esteem and their weight status.
METHODS: The study was carried out in Ankara, capital city of Turkey, and was rolled out to 9 and 11 years old children and their parents in 46 schools (2066 parent-child dyad). The data were collected by using parent and children questionnaires. Anthropometric measurements were conducted by the project team. Four different logistic regression models were performed seperately; parental body esteem and BMI for fathers and sons, fathers and daughters, mothers and sons, and mothers and daughters.
RESULTS: Mothers obesity was associated with their daughters’ and their sons’ obesity status. Fathers’ obesity status appears to be positively associated with their daughters’ status only but not their sons’. Body esteem of the obese boys was adversely affected only by their BMI in the models with fathers and mothers. Compared to boys, girls adversely were affected by their own BMI, their body esteem, and their mothers’ and fathers’ body esteem.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Strong association between both mothers and fathers role in the body esteem of daughters was found. Further research should be conducted to better understand the socio-cultural dynamics that may be unique to the development of childhood obesity.