The purpose of this study was to investigate the weight-control behavior of obese children, to understand parents' supervision and to explore related factors that influenced the weight-control behavior. A structured questionnaire was employed in this study. A random sample of 287 children and their parents was recruited from six elementary schools in Shihlin and Peitou districts of Taipei City. Criteria employed for recruitment of subjects were: third and fourth grade in elementary schools, and weight-for-length index > or = 1.2.
Results: Fifty-six percent of the obese children were mildly obese and eleven percent were severely obese. Ninety-seven percent of the subjects adopted weight-control behavior, the most frequent one being avoiding fried food. The exercise frequency and time duration consistency were generally insufficient. Twenty-seven percent of the obese children were not in the habit of exercising. Factors that influenced the execution of weight-control behavior by the obese children included obesity level, mother's education, family structure, socioeconomic status of the family, parents' perception of their children's weight, parents' concern, and supervision. Our study found that severely obese children attempted to lose weight with inappropriate methods. Children staying in foster families or with grandparents, or from families of low socioeconomic status, had poorer weight-control behavior. Children whose parents were more concerned about their weight problem tended to have better weight-control behavior. Therefore, it is important to assist the parents of obese children to confront the issue of obesity and help the children solve their weight problem. It is also important to help foster families with low income to make the most of social resources to reinforce the family function.