Abstract
Objective
To identify which English and Spanish terms Latino parents consider motivating, as
well as culturally and linguistically appropriate, for provider use during weight
counseling of overweight and obese Latino youth.
Methods
Latino parent perceptions of common Spanish and English terms for overweight were
discussed with 54 parents in 6 focus groups (3 English, 3 Spanish). Atlas.ti software
was used for qualitative analysis. An initial codebook was used to code passages for
English and Spanish terminology separately. Subsequent changes to the coded passages
and creation of new codes were made by team consensus.
Results
“Demasiado peso para su salud” (too much weight for his/her health) was the only phrase
for excess weight that was consistently identified as motivating and inoffensive by
Spanish-speaking parents. “Sobrepeso” (overweight), a commonly used term among health
care providers, was motivating to some parents but offensive to others. English-speaking
parents had mixed reactions to “unhealthy weight,” “weight problem,” and “overweight,”
finding them motivating, confusing, or insulting. Parents found “fat” “gordo” and
“obese” “obeso” consistently offensive. Most participants found growth charts and
the term “BMI” confusing. Parents consistently reported that providers could enhance
motivation and avoid offending families by linking a child's weight to health risks,
particularly diabetes.
Conclusions
“Demasiado peso para su salud” (too much weight for his/her health) was motivating
to many Spanish-speaking Latino parents. Among English-speaking Latino parents, no
single English term emerged as motivating, well-understood, and inoffensive. Linking
a child's excess weight with increased health risks was motivating and valuable to
many parents regardless of language spoken.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 20, 2014
Accepted:
November 14,
2014
Received:
June 4,
2014
Footnotes
Dr Hambidge has received royalties unrelated to this study from Elsevier for editing a general pediatric textbook. The other authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 Academic Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
