Objective: The aim of the present study was to investigate the emotion regulation skill of overweight–obese preschool children and to compare the maternal mental well-being of mothers with overweight–obese children with those of mothers with normal-weight children.
Materials and Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 219 4–6-year-old children studying in seven kindergartens in a city center located in the Cappadocia region of Turkey, as well as their parents. A questionnaire, the Emotion Regulation Checklist, and the General Health Questionnaire 12 were used to collect data. The body weight and height measurements of the children were obtained, and their body mass index was calculated.
Results: It was determined that 14.6% of preschool children were obese, 15.5% were overweight, and the median emotion regulation total scores of overweight–obese children were higher than those of normal-weight students (p=0.027). In addition, it was found that although the mental well-being status of mothers with overweight–obese children was similar to those of mothers with normal-weight children, mothers with obese children were more overweight than mothers with normal-weight children (p=0.020).
Conclusion: It is considered appropriate to monitor the weight and height of children at regular intervals and to evaluate children at risk along with their mothers (parents) to identify and prevent childhood obesity at an early stage.