My Weight Ruler: a simple and effective tool to enhance parental understanding of child weight status.

Abstract

To compare caregiver identification and understanding of body mass index percentile (BMI%) using the CDC Growth Chart and a newly adapted BMI ruler ("My Weight Ruler"). Between October 2009 and March 2010, eight focus groups with 27 low-income, minority caregivers with children 2-4 years of age were conducted to choose a meaningful tool to explain child weight status. A within-subject experiment comparing identification and interpretation of 2 BMI% plots (50th and 97th%) using the CDC Growth Chart and the selected tool was performed in February 2012 with 251 primary caregivers of children 2-4 years in a primary care clinic. Caregivers chose the "BMI Ruler" a tool used in Arkansas, recommended culturally-responsive descriptors of weight status and renamed it "My Weight Ruler". 92% of caregivers reported having previously been explained the CDC Growth Chart; 37% correctly identified both plots. In contrast, 92% of caregivers correctly identified both plots on the My Weight Ruler and many interpreted the 97th% plot as a health risk and need to change behavior. My Weight Ruler is a simple, easily understood tool of weight status for low-income, minority primary caregivers and could enhance parental knowledge and understanding of child weight status.