One way to counteract the spread of obesity in children is its early recognition by parents. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate whether parents' perception of their children's BMI category was consistent with their actual BMI assessment and to determine potential influential factors. The study was conducted as part of the "A program for the early detection of risk factors for lifestyle diseases SOPKARD-Junior" (SOPKARD-Junior), a preventive health program implemented in public elementary schools from 2017 to 2019. The results from 381 children with a mean age of 11.67 (SD = 1.52) were analyzed. Height and weight were measured and BMI was calculated. Surveys were conducted to assess parents' perceptions of their child's weight, along with their sociodemographic status. Nearly one in three parents were unable to correctly identify their children's weight; 25.0% underestimated it, and 6.0% overestimated it. Underestimation was observed along with an increase in the children's BMI weight category, with as many as 57.1% of parents of obese children misclassifying their weight. The child's BMI was the only significant predictor of incorrect assessment. Polish parents cannot properly assess their children's BMI, especially when their child is overweight or obese. In children, weight and height measurements should be taken regularly, rather than allowing weight category to be dependent upon parental weight assessments.
Keywords: BMI; Poland; childhood obesity; children; early detection; overweight; parental perception; pediatric obesity; weight perceptions.