1. Vereecken Carine 1,2, Maes Lea 2 1 Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO) 2 University of Ghent, Department of Public Health, Ghent, Belgium Objective Results Children’s weight is an important public health concern. The present study investigates associations between weight status and parent and child characteristics in Belgian-Flemish preschoolers. The results can help health professionals to develop more effective interventions. Conclusion Few variables showed a significant association with overweight. Interventions should aim at increasing children’s activity level and focus on children of mothers with obesity and of lower education level. Table 1: Results of the Multinomial Logistic Regression Analyses Material and Methods Parents of 862 preschoolers (mean age 3.5 years, 54 response) from 56 schools in East and West Flanders, completed a questionnaire on their child’s dietary intake and potential influencing factors (socio-demographics, parents’ weight status, child characteristics (shyness, emotionality, stubbornness, sociability, reactions to foods, activity, energy intake), general parenting styles (laxness, overreactivity, positive interactions), and specific food parenting practices (child centered parenting, contingency management, parent centered prompting). Measured data on height and weight were obtained for 693 children from the Nico vzw, who centralises the medical results of the medical consults of the Centres for Pupil Counselling. Children were categorized as underweight, normal or overweight using national age and gender-specific BMI cut-off points. Children with missings on one or more variables were excluded, resulting in a final sample of 577. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were conducted to compare underweight and overweight children with normal weight children E-mail: Carine.Vereecken@UGent.be ASSOCIATIONS between WEIGHT STATUS and CHILD AND PARENT CHARACTERISTICS IN BELGIAN-FLEMISH PRESCHOOLERS ASSOCIATIONS between WEIGHT STATUS and CHILD AND PARENT CHARACTERISTICS IN BELGIAN-FLEMISH PRESCHOOLERS Under- weight % Normal % Over- weight % OR (95% CI) of Underweight versus normal Overweight versus normal Model 1: Sociodemographics and Parental Weight Status (n) gender girl (284) 1273151.32 (0.77-2.25)1.46 (0.88-2.44) boy (293) 1079111.00 education mother low (108) 1069210.94 (0.42-2.13)2.02 (1.01-4.02)* medium (135) 1177121.05 (0.52-2.11)1.17 (0.58-2.33) high (334) 1278111.00 education father low (138) 1372151.38 (0.66-2.86)0.85 (0.41-1.77) medium (182) 978130.75 (0.37-1.49)0.92 (0.48-1.75) high (257) 1276121.00 weight status mother underweight (30) 2070101.90 (0.72-5.02)0.92 (0.26-3.26) normal (397) 1277121.00 overweight (108) 1078120.93 (0.46-1.91)0.96 (0.49-1.90) obese (42) 564310.46 (0.10-2.05)2.67 (1.23-5.78)* weight status father normal+underw. (304+6) 1374131.00 overweight (211) 1078120.71 (0.40-1.26)0.99 (0.57-1.72) obese (56) 577180.41 (0.12-1.39)1.24 (0.56-2.77) Model 2: Child Characteristics mean (sd) shyness2.38 (0.69)2.26 (0.73)2.27 (0.82)1.09 (0.73-1.63)1.00 (0.68-1.48) emotionality2.94 (0.83)2.89 (0.86)2.73 (0.94)0.96 (0.67-1.37)0.82 (0.58-1.15) stubbornness2.79 (0.83)2.77 (0.89)2.68 (0.92)1.05 (0.74-1.49)0.95 (0.69-1.31) sociability3.90 (0.54)3.97 (0.63)3.92 (0.62)0.98 (0.62-1.55)0.96 (0.61-1.50) negative reactions to food 2.82 (0.99)2.67 (1.04)2.64 (0.91)1.14 (0.86-1.50)0.93 (0.71-1.22) active4.11 (0.47)4.25 (0.55)4.10 (0.58)0.66 (0.41-1.07)0.57 (0.35-0.92)* energy intake (MJ)5.58 (1.83)5.73 (1.68)6.14 (3.40)0.95 (0.81-1.13)1.06 (0.96-1.18) Model 3: General Parenting Styles and Food Related Parenting Practices general parenting styles laxness2.17 (0.80)2.36 (0.88)2.42 (1.15)0.78 (0.54-1.12)0.91 (0.68-1.20) overreactivity2.89 (0.68)2.91 (0.79)3.00 (0.80)0.87 (0.59-1.28)1.34 (0.93-1.93) positive interactions4.22 (0.48)4.27 (0.45)4.32 (0.54)0.75 (0.39-1.43)1.47 (0.81-2.68) food related parenting practices child centered responsiveness 3.34 (0.49)3.31 (0.5)3.23 (0.65)0.86 (0.45-1.64)0.83 (0.47-1.47) contingency management 2.52 (0.73)2.53 (0.75)2.45 (0.71)0.67 (0.43-1.06)1.25 (0.81-1.95) parent centered prompting 2.86 (0.56)2.65 (0.55)2.44 (0.58)3.01 (1.59-5.70)***0.49 (0.27-0.89)* Model 2 and 3, controlled for gender, mothers' education level and mothers' weight status Child characteristics are based on the EAS Temperament Survey for children (Buss & Plomin 1984) and the reactions to food scale from the Colorado child temperament Inventory for children (Rowe and Plomin 1977). Parenting styles were based on the Parenting Scale (Arnold et al 1993) and a parenting practices scale (Steyhorn & Weidman 1988). Food related parenting pracitces are based on the caregiver’s feeding styles questionnaire (Hughes et al 2005). Eleven percent of the children were classified as underweight, 13% were classified as overweight. Children of obese mothers of low educational level (vocational or less) had the highest likelihood of being overweight. Overweight children were less active, no significant difference was found in energy intake or any other child or parent characteristic except that overweight children were less prompted to eat, whereas underweight were more prompted to eat (Table 1).