F Haeri - MSc. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
M Kafeshani - Ph.D. Associate Professor of Nutrition. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran
P Shariatpanahi - MSc .Department of Statistics, School of Nutrition and Food Science, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Introduction: According to previous studies, some parents have no real understanding of their children s overweight and obesity and parents misunderstanding of baby weight can be a prerequisite for increasing the prevalence of obesity at this age. Another factor affecting the baby s weight is the food security of the household. Although the lack of household food security is expected to be associated with lower fat mass and less overweight, this correlation was not well observed in this study. Methods: A descriptive-analytic study was performed on 84 mothers with obese children entering Mehriz elementary schools. The 18-item Food Security Questionnaire (USDA), Perceptions and General Information Questionnaire was completed by interviewing mothers. Results were analyzed using SPSS22 software. Results: The findings of this study estimated the prevalence of food insecurity with 12% severe hunger, 33.4% moderate hunger, 15.4% hunger free and 39.2% food security. Also, mothers unrealistic perception of their children s obesity was 63%. Conclusion: According to the results, the prevalence of food insecurity was over 60% and only 37 percent of parents had a real understanding of their children s weight. According to the findings, prevalence of food insecurity and parents misunderstanding can be very effective factors in the prevalence of childhood obesity. Therefore, we need serious interventions to reduce the prevalence of obesity.

Household Food Security ،Maternal perception, ،childhood obesity