Abstract
Purpose: Parental weight-related communication significantly influences children's body image and psychosocial outcomes(1,2). As digital food media such as mukbang gains popularity, concerns have emerged regarding its impact on parental weight-focused communication(3,4). This study examined psychosocial and media-related predictors of parental weight criticism toward children in Korean families.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 750 Korean parents (N=1,075 parent-child dyads) recruited through stratified sampling. Parents of children aged 8-19 years completed validated questionnaires measuring parental weight bias, mukbang viewing attitudes and time, dissatisfaction with child's body, health concern, and weight criticism. Stepwise multiple regression identified significant predictors.
Results: Participants were predominantly mothers (51.1%), mean age 45.0 years (SD=5.78), mean BMI 23.11 (SD=3.39), with college education (63.7%) and monthly income ≥5 million won (61.5%). The regression model explained 23.9% of variance (F[7,1067]=47.91, p<.001). Seven predictors emerged: parental weight bias (β=.21, p<.001), mukbang viewing attitude (β=.20, p<.001), dissatisfaction with child's body (β=.18, p<.001), health concern (β=.13, p<.001), parental gender with mothers showing higher criticism (β=.10, p<.001), mukbang viewing time (β=.07, p=.015), and household income with inverse relationship (β=-.07, p=.014).
Conclusion: Findings highlight the role of parental weight attitudes and digital food media influences in shaping weight-related communication. Results provide evidence for developing family-based interventions addressing parental weight stigma and media literacy to promote healthier parent-child communication and positive body image development.
Implications for Nursing: Nurses should assess parental weight bias and digital media consumption during well-child visits. Pediatric nurses can develop educational interventions targeting weight stigma reduction and media literacy. Understanding these predictors enables nurses to design evidence-based, family-centered programs promoting positive body image and healthy communication in diverse populations.
Notes
References:
1. Gardam, O. M., Kalinowski, D., & Paxton, S. J. (2023). Parent and child influence in body image dissatisfaction: A cross-lagged panel analysis. Body Image, 44, 305–313. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2023.01.007
2. Hitti, S. A., Gao, N., LaRose, J. G., & Perrin, E. M. (2020). The relation between parental messages about weight and body image in young adults. Body Image, 32, 34–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2019.10.009
3. Kang, E., Lee, J., Kim, K. H., & Yun, Y. H. (2020). The popularity of eating broadcast: Content analysis of mukbang videos and public health implications. Health Informatics Journal, 26(3), 2237–2248. https://doi.org/10.1177/1460458220901360
4. Lampard, A. M., Byrne, S. M., McLean, N., & Fursland, A. (2021). Parental concern about children’s weight and the development of childhood obesity. Pediatric Obesity, 16(3), e12724. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijpo.12724
Sigma Membership
Lambda Alpha at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Cross-Sectional
Research Approach
Quantitative Research
Keywords:
Public and Community Health, Primary Care, Health Equity or Social Determinants of Health, Body Weight, Body Weight--Psychosocial Factors, Criticism, Parental Attitudes, Body Image
Recommended Citation
Choi, Jihea and Shin, Taeksoo, "Psychosocial and Media-Related Predictors of Parental Weight Criticism Toward Children" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 36.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/posters_2026/36
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-07-27
Funder
National Research Foundation of Korea
Psychosocial and Media-Related Predictors of Parental Weight Criticism Toward Children
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Purpose: Parental weight-related communication significantly influences children's body image and psychosocial outcomes(1,2). As digital food media such as mukbang gains popularity, concerns have emerged regarding its impact on parental weight-focused communication(3,4). This study examined psychosocial and media-related predictors of parental weight criticism toward children in Korean families.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 750 Korean parents (N=1,075 parent-child dyads) recruited through stratified sampling. Parents of children aged 8-19 years completed validated questionnaires measuring parental weight bias, mukbang viewing attitudes and time, dissatisfaction with child's body, health concern, and weight criticism. Stepwise multiple regression identified significant predictors.
Results: Participants were predominantly mothers (51.1%), mean age 45.0 years (SD=5.78), mean BMI 23.11 (SD=3.39), with college education (63.7%) and monthly income ≥5 million won (61.5%). The regression model explained 23.9% of variance (F[7,1067]=47.91, p<.001). Seven predictors emerged: parental weight bias (β=.21, p<.001), mukbang viewing attitude (β=.20, p<.001), dissatisfaction with child's body (β=.18, p<.001), health concern (β=.13, p<.001), parental gender with mothers showing higher criticism (β=.10, p<.001), mukbang viewing time (β=.07, p=.015), and household income with inverse relationship (β=-.07, p=.014).
Conclusion: Findings highlight the role of parental weight attitudes and digital food media influences in shaping weight-related communication. Results provide evidence for developing family-based interventions addressing parental weight stigma and media literacy to promote healthier parent-child communication and positive body image development.
Implications for Nursing: Nurses should assess parental weight bias and digital media consumption during well-child visits. Pediatric nurses can develop educational interventions targeting weight stigma reduction and media literacy. Understanding these predictors enables nurses to design evidence-based, family-centered programs promoting positive body image and healthy communication in diverse populations.
Description
This study identified psychosocial and media-related predictors of parental weight criticism in 750 Korean families (1,075 parent-child dyads). Parental weight bias, mukbang viewing attitudes, and dissatisfaction with child's body were the strongest predictors, explaining 23.9% of variance. Findings support developing family-based interventions addressing weight stigma and media literacy to promote healthy parent-child communication and positive body image.