Background. Previous research has shown that overweight Latino children underestimate their body size. Erroneous perception of body size may have important health and behavioral implications and serve as a significant barrier to weight control. Objective. The aim of this study was to determine whether children’s perceptions of their body size became more accurate following a pediatric obesity intervention focused on increasing physical activity. Design/ methods. This analysis includes 61 overweight (body mass index ≥85%) Latino children (aged 8-11 years) parent—child dyads who completed a pilot randomized control trial. Results. After the intervention, 40.7% (11/27) of children in the intervention group rated their body size accurately compared with 21.2% (7/33) in the control group. The difference indicates a trend toward significance (P = .09). Conclusions. Participating in monthly physical activity skill building sessions may increase children’s accuracy in body size perception.This may be an important first step toward behavior modification.
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