ORIGINAL RESEARCH
American Indian Parents’ Assessment of and Concern About Their Kindergarten Child’s Weight Status, South Dakota, 2005-2006
| Level of Concern | Measured Weight Status of Child | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underweight (n = 18) | Normal Weight (n = 268) | Overweight (n = 61) | Obese (n = 12) | Extremely Obese (n = 51) | |
| Not concerned, % | 55.6 | 72.8 | 86.9 | 50.0 | 43.1 |
| A little concerned, % | 27.8 | 17.5 | 8.2 | 25.0 | 29.4 |
| Concerned, % | 16.7 | 8.2 | 4.9 | 25.0 | 11.8 |
| Very concerned, % | 0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 15.7 |
Figure 1. Parents’ level of concern about their child’s current weight status and child’s measured weight among American Indians, South Dakota, 2005-2006. Weight status was based on body mass index percentiles from the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Growth Charts (20). Very underweight: <5th percentile; underweight: 5th to ≤15th percentile; normal weight: 15th to <85th percentile; overweight: 85th to <95th percentile; obese: 95th percentile to <97th percentile; extremely obese: ≥97th percentile. The categories “very underweight” and “underweight” were combined. Parents were unaware of child’s measured height and weight.
| Level of Concern | Parents’ Assessment of Child’s Weight | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Underweight (n = 38) | Right Weight (n = 330) | Slightly Overweight (n = 38) | Very Overweight (n = 4) | |
| Not concerned, % | 31.6 | 79.7 | 29.0 | 0 |
| A little concerned, % | 42.1 | 12.1 | 50.0 | 0 |
| Concerned, % | 21.0 | 7.3 | 10.5 | 25.0 |
| Very concerned, % | 5.3 | 0.9 | 10.5 | 75.0 |
Figure 2. Parents’ level of concern about their child’s current weight status and assessment of child’s weight among American Indians, South Dakota, 2005-2006. The categories “slightly underweight” and “very underweight” were combined.
The opinions expressed by authors contributing to this journal do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Service, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the authors' affiliated institutions.
