Does Parental Capital Influence the Prevalence of Child Overweight and Parental Perceptions of Child Weight-Level?

The paper shows how parental level of capital, especially cultural capital, influences the prevalence of child overweight and parental perceptions of child weight-levels. Parents with higher levels of cultural capital are less likely to have overweight children and more likely to perceive weight-levels in accordance with the BMI categories.

The results also demonstrate clear gender differences. Parents tend to overestimate their daughters’ weight-levels while underestimating the weight-levels of their sons compared to the BMI categories. The study is based on Danish survey data from 2007 and uses statistical estimation techniques.