EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
In August, 2000, the American Obesity Association (AOA) retained Bruskin Research, headquartered in Edison New Jersey, to conduct a survey of parents for the purpose of determining parental attitudes about their childıs weight.
Childhood obesity is increasing in the United States at alarming rates. Parents are a key resource in identifying and understanding changes in their childrenıs weight. Parents are also extremely important in affecting school policies, which play an important role in the development of obesity in students.
The survey was part of OmniTel, a weekly national telephone omnibus service. OmniTel is a random digit dialing probability sample of all telephone households in the continental United States. The sampling was totally computer based and provided an equal probability of selection for each and every telephone household. All completed interviews were weighted to ensure accurate and reliable representation of parents of children and adolescents 6 to 17 years of age. The results contained in this report are based on interviews conducted from August 11-27, 2000. A total of 1,025 interviews were completed, comprising 537 female adults and 488 male adults.
MAJOR FINDING
An overwhelming 78% of parents believe that time for recess and physical education should not be reduced or eliminated for more academic classes. In recent years, pressure has increased on schools to improve performance on standardized academic tests. Schools, however, are not able to increase the school day or the school year. Thus, they have tried to meet increased expectations by reconstructing the school day. Often this has meant reducing time for recess and physical education classes. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) report that daily participation by high school students in physical education classes has declined by 30% in the past decade. Clearly, parents are expressing a high degree of anxiety about this trend.
During the course of this survey, the candidates for President of the United States were campaigning. Both candidates are strong supporters of improved academic performance in the nationıs schools.
The survey results were released at the second AOA conference on the public policy aspects of obesity. Both presidential candidates sent representatives to the conference to respond to the survey and to outline their approaches to the epidemic of obesity.
1. THINKING ABOUT YOUR CHILDREN AGE 6-17, WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU THINK IS THE GREATEST RISK TO YOUR CHILD OR CHILDREN’S LONG-TERM HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE? (ONLY ONE RESPONSE ALLOWED)
RESPONSE:
Illegal Drugs: 24%
Violence: 20.3%
Smoking: 13.3%
Sexually transmitted disease: 10.0%
Alcohol: 6.1%
Being overweight or obese: 5.6%
None: 8.0%
Don’t know: 12.6%
According to income levels, more parents earning above $30,000 chose obesity than did parents earning below that level. The West region chose this category less frequently than did the rest of the country.
COMMENT:
Bearing in mind that respondents could choose only one condition, 5.6% response for overweight/obesity can be considered reasonable. Overweight/obesity is comparable to alcohol and sexually transmitted diseases both of which have been subject to far more extensive public health campaigns. The response indicates a need for better education on the long-term health effects of obesity compared to other conditions.
2. HOW CONCERNED ARE YOU ABOUT THE WEIGHT OF YOUR CHILD AGE 6-17?
RESPONSE:
Very concerned: 15.3%
Somewhat concerned: 15.2%
Not very concerned: 12.8%
Not at all concerned: 46%
COMMENT:
Over 30% of parents expressed being very or somewhat concerned about their childıs weight. This coincides with the 25% of children and adolescents at the 95% percentile for weight. The remaining 5% may reflect concern about a child with eating disorders or who is underweight.
More mothers than fathers indicated concern about their childıs weight. By income, the highest proportion of concern was from parents who make less than $20,000 per year. By region, parents in the South were more concerned than parents from other regions.
3. THINKING ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S WEIGHT, WHAT ARE THE AGES AND SEX OF THE CHILDREN AGE 6-17 YEARS YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT?
RESPONSE:
Male child Female child
Age 6-8 11.9% 10.7%
9-11 9.5% 9.2%
12-14 10.1% 9.7%
15-17 10.7% 10.6%
COMMENT:
One might assume that parents would be more concerned about the weight of their girls than of boys. These survey results indicate an equal level of concern for both sexes.
4. (FOR EACH CHILD IN Q.3) DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR (AGE) YEAR OLD (SEX) CHILD TO BE OVERWEIGHT, AT A HEALTHY WEIGHT, UNDERWEIGHT OR DON’T KNOW?
RESPONSE:
By Gender and Age
A. Male child Age 6-8
Overweight: 10%
Healthy Weight: 69%
Underweight: 16.3%
Don’t Know: 4.6%
B. Male child Age 9-11
Overweight: 16.8%
Healthy Weight: 66.5%
Underweight: 14.8%
Don’t Know: 1.8%
C. Male child Age 12-14
Overweight: 14.3%
Healthy Weight: 78.7%
Underweight: 6.1%
Don’t Know: 0.9%
D. Male child Age 15-17
Overweight: 9.8%
Healthy Weight: 76.1%
Underweight: 10.3%
Don’t Know: 3.8%
E. Female child Age 6-8
Overweight: 9.4%
Healthy Weight: 72.6%
Underweight: 16.1%
Don’t Know: 1.9%
F. Female child Age 9-11
Overweight: 14.4%
Healthy Weight: 66.5%
Underweight: 14.8%
Don’t Know: 1.8%
G. Female child Age 12-14
Overweight: 14.9%
Healthy Weight: 79.5%
Underweight: 4.9%
Don’t Know: 0.7%
H. Female child Age 15-17
Overweight: 9.5%
Healthy Weight: 81.1%
Underweight: 5.8%
Don’t Know: 3.5%
By Age Only
6-8 Year Old
Overweight: 9.6%
Healthy Weight: 70.3%
Underweight: 16.3%
Don’t Know: 3.8%
9-11 Year Old
Overweight: 15.6%
Healthy Weight: 70.5%
Underweight: 12.0%
Don’t Know: 1.9%
12-14 Year Old
Overweight: 14.6%
Healthy Weight: 79.1%
Underweight: 5.5%
Don’t Know: 0.8%
15-17 Year Old
Overweight: 9.6%
Healthy Weight: 78.4%
Underweight: 8.1%
Don’t Know: 4.0%
COMMENT:
In general, it appears that parents are underestimating the number of overweight children. At the same time, they may be overestimating the number of underweight children. Data on underweight children in the U.S. is not available, so an exact comparison cannot be made.
Mothers were more likely to perceive their child to be overweight than fathers. Parents earning under $20,000 were more likely to perceive their child as overweight compared to more affluent parents. Regionally, parents in the West were less likely to perceive their child as overweight than parents from other parts of the country.
5. HOW MUCH DO YOU THINK YOUR (AGE) YEAR OLD (SEX) CHILD IS CONCERNED ABOUT HIS/HER WEIGHT?
RESPONSE:
By Gender and Age
A. Male child Age 6-8
Very Concerned: 3.4%
Somewhat Concerned: 12.4%
Not Very Concerned: 11.2%
Not at all Concerned: 69%
Don’t know: 3.9%
B. Male child Age 9-11
Very Concerned: 8.7%
Somewhat Concerned: 20.6%
Not Very Concerned: 6.5%
Not at all Concerned: 61.5%
Don’t know: 2.7%
C. Male child Age 12-14
Very Concerned: 8.3%
Somewhat Concerned: 18.5%
Not Very Concerned: 13.7%
Not at all Concerned: 56.7%
Don’t know: 2.8%
D. Male child Age 15-17
Very Concerned: 11.8%
Somewhat Concerned: 26%
Not Very Concerned: 11.2%
Not at all Concerned: 47.2%
Don’t know: 3.8%
E. Female child Age 6-8
Very Concerned: 5.1%
Somewhat Concerned: 13.6%
Not Very Concerned: 11.2%
Not at all Concerned: 67.5%
Don’t know: 2.6%
F. Female child Age 9-11
Very Concerned: 12.9%
Somewhat Concerned: 27.1%
Not Very Concerned: 11.4%
Not at all Concerned: 45.6%
Don’t know: 3.1%
G. Female child Age 12-14
Very Concerned: 14.7%
Somewhat Concerned: 36.2%
Not Very Concerned: 13.8%
Not at all Concerned: 34.6%
Don’t know: 2.3%
H. Female child Age 15-17
Very Concerned: 26.6%
Somewhat Concerned: 21.5%
Not Very Concerned: 17.2%
Not at all Concerned: 31 %
Don’t know: 3.6%
By Age Only
6-8 Year Old
Very Concerned: 4.2%
Somewhat Concerned: 12.9%
Not Very Concerned: 11.2%
Not at all Concerned: 68%
Don’t know: 3.7%
9-11 Year Old
Very Concerned: 10.8%
Somewhat Concerned: 23.8%
Not Very Concerned: 8.9%
Not at all Concerned: 53.7%
Don’t know: 2.9%
12-14 Year Old
Very Concerned: 11.4%
Somewhat Concerned: 27.2%
Not Very Concerned: 13.7%
Not at all Concerned: 46%
Don’t know: 1.8%
15-17 Year Old
Very Concerned: 19.1%
Somewhat Concerned: 23.7%
Not Very Concerned: 14.1%
Not at all Concerned: 39.1%
Don’t know: 4.0%
Overall (All ages, both genders)
Very Concerned: 11.2%
Somewhat Concerned: 21.6%
Not Very Concerned: 12.0%
Not at all Concerned: 52%
Don’t know: 3.1%
COMMENT:
Overall, approximately one-third of all parents surveyed believes that their child has some level of concern about his/her weight. Higher levels of concern seem to start at about 9 years of age. Parents report somewhat greater concern for girls than boys, but perhaps the difference is less than one might expect. However, from age 9, at least one-quarter of boys in each age group are reportedly somewhat or very concerned about their weight. Parents report the highest proportion of concern from 12 to 14 year-old girls, of which more than half appear somewhat or very concerned.
6a. COMPARED TO YOURSELF AT YOUR CHILDıS AGE, ARE YOUR CHILDREN ENGAGING IN MORE, LESS OR THE SAME AMOUNT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY?
RESPONSE:
More: 33.4%
Less: 23.6%
Same: 29.8%
Don’t know: 13.2%
COMMENT:
A higher proportion of mothers than fathers reported that their child has more physical activity. This might reflect the effect of increases in athletic programs for girls. The high percentage of
"don’t know" responses compared to other answers is an interesting but unexplained finding.
6b. COMPARED TO YOURSELF AT YOUR CHILDıS AGE, ARE YOUR CHILDREN EATING MORE OR LESS NUTRITIOUSLY?
RESPONSE:
More: 43.6%
Less: 26.8%
Same: 15.6%
Don’t know: 14.0%
COMMENT:
Compared to parents who earn more money, a higher percentage of parents with incomes under $20,000 reported that their children eat more nutritiously than they did at the same age.
7. TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE, HOW MANY DAYS PER WEEK DOES YOUR (AGE) YEAR OLD (SEX) CHILD ENGAGE IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AT SCHOOL?
RESPONSE:
By Gender and Age
A. Male child Age 6-8
None: 5.7%
1 Day: 12.9%
2 Days: 14.8%
3 Days: 15.7%
4 Days: 3.6%
5 Days: 25.9%
6 Days: 1.3%
7 Days: 8.9%
B. Male child Age 9-11
None: 2.6%
1 Day: 10.0%
2 Days: 11.2%
3 Days: 15.8%
4 Days: 2.7%
5 Days: 35.9%
6 Days: 2.1%
7 Days: 11.3%
C. Male child Age 12-14
None: 4.7%
1 Day: 3.8%
2 Days: 8.5%
3 Days: 15.2%
4 Days: 2.2%
5 Days: 50%
6 Days: 0.4%
7 Days: 6.2%
D. Male child Age 15-17
None: 11.9%
1 Day: 4.2%
2 Days: 8.4%
3 Days: 10.2%
4 Days: 3.1%
5 Days: 38.7%
6 Days: 1.2%
7 Days: 12.6%
E. Female child Age 6-8
None: 5.8%
1 Day: 11.2%
2 Days: 16%
3 Days: 15.5%
4 Days: 0.7%
5 Days: 36%
6 Days: 1.3%
7 Days: 6.7%
F. Female child Age 9-11
None: 2.7%%
1 Day: 8.3%
2 Days: 17.4%
3 Days: 19.3%
4 Days: 3.3%
5 Days: 31.7%
6 Days: 0%
7 Days: 2.7%
G. Female child Age 12-14
None: 7.3%
1 Day: 4.4%
2 Days: 9.4%
3 Days: 10.7%
4 Days: 3.6%
5 Days: 46.9%
6 Days: 0.6%
7 Days: 7.8%
H. Female child Age 15-17
None: 15.5%
1 Day: 3.3%
2 Days: 6.7%
3 Days: 13.3%
4 Days: 2.1%
5 Days: 31.9%
6 Days: 0%
7 Days: 9.4%
Overall (All ages, both genders)
None: 7.1%
1 Day: 7.3%
2 Days: 11.5%
3 Days: 14.4%
4 Days: 2.7%
5 Days: 36.7%
6 Days: 0.9%
7 Days: 8.3%
COMMENT:
The CDC recommends daily physical education for elementary and secondary school students. The most active group in this survey was boys age 12-14, half of whom were reported to receive physical education five days a week. According to the AOA survey, approximately one-third of 6-17 year olds meet this standard. This corresponds with a CDC report that shows participation among high school students in daily physical education classes has declined from 41.6% in 1991 to 29.1% in 1999.
8. SHOULD PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASSES OR RECESS BE REDUCED AND REPLACED WITH ACADEMICS?
RESPONSE:
Overall
Yes: 15.1%
No: 77.8%
Don’t know: 7.2%
By Gender and Age
A. Parents of Male Child Age 6-8
Yes: 15.5%
No: 76.3%
Don’t know: 8.2%
B. Parents of Male Child Age 9-11
Yes: 10.5%
No: 85.0%
Don’t know: 4.5%
C. Parents of Male Child Age 12-14
Yes: 17.3%
No: 76.5%
Don’t know: 6.2%
D. Parents of Male Child Age 15-17
Yes: 25.1%
No: 68.8%
Don’t know: 6.1%
E. Parents of Female Child Age 6-8
Yes: 11.3%
No: 84.4%
Don’t know: 4.3%
F. Parents of Female Child Age 9-11
Yes: 4.6%
No: 87.7%
Don’t know: 7.7%
G. Parents of Female Child Age 12-14
Yes: 14.3%
No: 80.4%
Don’t know: 5.3%
H. Parents of Female Child Age 15-17
Yes: 20.5%
No: 66.4%
Don’t know: 13.1%
Overall - Parents of children who are:
Age 6-8 (both genders)
Yes: 13.4%
No: 79.9%
Don’t know: 6.7%
Age 9-11 (both genders)
Yes: 7.6%
No: 86.3%
Don’t know: 6.1%
Age 12-14 (both genders)
Yes: 15.8%
No: 78.5%
Don’t know: 5.7%
Age 15-17 (both genders)
Yes: 22.7%
No: 67.5%
Don’t know: 9.8%
Summary - Parents who believe recess and physical activity should not be replaced with academics.
Parents of children who are:
Age 6-8 Male 76.3%
Female 84.4%
Both Genders 79.9%
Age 9-11 Male 85.0%
Female 87.7%
Both Genders 86.3%
Age 12-14 Male 76.5%
Female 80.4%
Both Genders 78.5%
Age 15-17 Male 68.8%
Female 66.4%
Both Genders 67.5%
COMMENT:
The overwhelming majority of mothers and fathers at all ages and income levels and in all regions believe that physical education should not be sacrificed for more academic classes.
The uniformly high level of opposition to the trend in reducing recess and physical education should send a strong message to politicians and educators. Clearly, many more parents are concerned about this issue than just those who are concerned about the weight of their child, which indicates the importance of recess and physical education. As the political and education leadership continue to move in the direction of eliminating physical education and recess, parental objections are likely to increase.
9. HOW DIFFICULT WOULD IT BE FOR YOU TO CHANGE YOUR EATING AND/OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PATTERNS IF IT WOULD HELP PREVENT OBESITY IN ANY OF YOUR CHILDREN?
RESPONSE:
Very difficult: 6.4%
Somewhat difficult: 18.2%
Not very difficult: 20.4%
Not at all difficult: 40.7%
Don’t know: 14.2%
COMMENT:
Achieving behavioral change and maintaining that change is extremely difficult. Parents appear to be underestimating the difficulty involved. The response may indicate a strong willingness to engage in change.
10. IN TERMS OF PREVENTING OBESITY BY TEACHING GOOD PATTERNS OF EATING AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, HOW ADEQUATE ARE THE PROGRAMS AT YOUR CHILDRENıS SCHOOLS?
RESPONSE:
Excellent: 14.5%
Good: 29.1%
Fair: 21.3%
Poor: 8.1%
Non-existent: 6.7%
Don’t know: 20.2%
COMMENT:
More than 55% of parents replied that their school programs are "fair" / "poor" / "non-existent" or "don’t know." This question received the highest "don’t know" response of all 11 questions. This is probably explained by the fact that there are few specific school programs for preventing obesity. Students sometimes do receive information on nutrition and physical education in health education classes. Unfortunately these classes have also been declining in recent years. Responses for the excellent / good category may pertain to schools that offer frequent physical education classes.
11. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DO YOU CONSIDER TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT CAUSE OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY? (ONLY ONE RESPONSE ALLOWED)
RESPONSE:
Bad Eating Habits: 25%
Too Little Physical Activity: 21.7%
TV, Computers, Video Games: 17.9%
Inherited Genes: 11.3%
Lack of Self-discipline: 7.6%
None: 1.3%
Don’t know: 15.2%
COMMENT:
Researchers believe that the genetic contribution to obesity is between 40% and 70%. The small percentage of parents who recognize the contribution of genetics reflects the failure to communicate this understanding of obesity to parents. While many persons attribute obesity to a lack of self-discipline, it appears from this survey that most parents do not feel that way. Consistent with previous research, parents identified "too little physical activity" and the role of sedentary behaviors like TV viewing as main causes of childhood obesity.
