Parents of overweight children frequently did not perceive their children as exceeding healthy weight standards. Targeting parental perception as a point of intervention is necessary.

Two studies were conducted to assess differences in metabolic rate as a function of child weight (study I); and the interaction of child and parent weight (study II). In both studies obese children had higher resting metabolic rates (RMRs) than lean children (p less than 0.05). Child weight accounted for 72 and 78% of the variance in RMR in studies 1 and 2, respectively. Including parental weight did not improve the prediction of RMR. After 6 mo of treatment, obese children decreased percent overweight, whereas lean children showed no change (p less than 0.01). RMR in both groups remained unchanged after 6 mo. These results indicate that the RMR is higher in obese than in lean children, that changes in percent overweight that result from increases in height and no change in weight do not decrease RMR over 6 mo, and parent weight does not improve the prediction of child RMR.

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