Table 4.
Children's weight-related knowledge by actual and perceived weight status.
| Knowledge items | Underweight children (n = 547) |
Normal-weight children (n = 2415) |
Overweight children (n = 790) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate (83.7%) | Overestimatea (16.3%) | Underestimate (34.1%) | Accurate (59.1%) | Overestimate (6.8%) | Underestimateb (25.3%) | Accurate (74.7%) | |
| It is harmful to watch TV or play computer games for a long time. [yes] | 419 (91.9) | 76 (86.4) | 734 (90.1) | 1304 (91.7) | 149 (91.4) | 170 (86.7) | 527 (90.1) |
| It is not necessary to exercise every day. [no] | 404 (89.2) | 76 (86.4) | 712 (87.4) | 1282 (90.7) | 143 (87.7)∗ | 175 (88.4) | 536 (91.5) |
| Fruits and vegetables should be eaten every day. [yes] | 451 (99.3) | 87 (97.8) | 804 (98.4) | 1397 (98.9) | 161 (98.8) | 196 (98.5) | 570 (97.6) |
| Meat contains fat and protein and the more you eat meat, the better. [no] | 369 (81.1) | 71 (80.7) | 685 (83.7) | 1226 (86.4) | 145 (89.0) | 181 (91.0) | 536 (91.6) |
| It is healthier to drink plain boiled water than sugar-sweetened beverages. [yes] | 379 (83.5) | 64 (71.9)∗ | 660 (80.4) | 1174 (82.7) | 136 (84.0) | 158 (79.4) | 470 (80.2) |
| You don't have to eat breakfast as long as you eat more lunch. [no] | 448 (98.5) | 85 (95.5) | 811 (98.7) | 1393 (97.8) | 161 (98.8) | 193 (97.0) | 572 (97.3) |
| It is harmful to eat too much fried food. [yes] | 413 (91.4) | 78 (87.6) | 753 (91.6) | 1319 (92.8) | 156 (95.7) | 170 (86.3) | 542 (92.2)∗ |
| Western fast food (i.e, KFC, McDonald's, etc) is more nutritious. [no] | 441 (96.9) | 83 (93.3) | 787 (95.9) | 1378 (96.9) | 159 (97.0) | 192 (97.0) | 564 (95.9) |
| It is beneficial to your health to drink milk every day. [yes] | 433 (95.4) | 82 (92.1) | 795 (97.0) | 1365 (96.0) | 158 (96.3) | 189 (95.5) | 548 (93.7) |
| It is beneficial to your health to eat more high-energy snacks. [no] | 447 (98.2) | 84 (94.4)∗ | 794 (96.6) | 1382 (97.1) | 162 (98.8) | 191 (96.0) | 567 (96.4) |
| Knowledge score | 10.0 (1.0) | 9.0 (2.0) | 10.0 (1.0) | 10.0 (1.0) | 10.0 (1.0)∗∗ | 10.0 (1.0) | 10.0 (1.0) |
Knowledge items are presented as number (percentage), whereas knowledge score is presented as median (interquartile range).
Differences of knowledge items between different perceptions within underweight, normal-weight, or overweight children were evaluated using Pearson Chi-Square tests, whereas differences of knowledge score between two or three perception groups were evaluated using Mann–Whitney U tests or Kruskal–Wallis tests, respectively.
∗P < 0.05, ∗∗P < 0.01.
The overestimators in underweight group included 87 children who perceived themselves as normal weight and 2 children who perceived themselves as overweight.
The underestimators in overweight group included 6 children who perceived themselves as underweight and 194 children who perceived themselves as normal weight.