The relationships between caregivers' self-reported and visual perception of child weight and their non-responsive feeding practices: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background. The impacts of caregivers' perception of child weight on their non-responsive feeding practices are inconclusive. This systematic review aimed to examine their relationships. Methods. A systematic search of five databases was conducted from inception to March 2022, following PRISMA guidelines. Data synthesis was performed using semi-quantitative approach and meta-analysis. Results. Twenty-two studies with 12005 respondents were included for semi-quantitative analyses. Eighteen studies examined 26 associations between caregivers' perception of child weight and food restriction with 12 statistically significant associations being observed. A total of 22 relationships between caregivers' perception of child weight and pressure to eat were investigated, with 13 being statistically significant. The statistically significant associations consistently reported that caregivers' visual and self-reported perception of child weight was positively associated with their restrictive feeding and negatively associated with pressure to eat. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) indicated that caregivers who perceived their child as overweight were found to...