Maternal perceptions and self-perception of the nutritional status of children and adolescents from private schools.

Objective: To describe and compare maternal perception and the self-perception of children/adolescents of their nutritional status, identifying factors associated with incorrect perceptions.

Methods: Cross-sectional study carried out in Salvador, BA, Brazil with 1,741 students aged 6 to 19 years, classified according to body mass index (BMI) percentiles as underweight (BMI < p5), well-nourished (p5 /= p95). Students and their mothers answered questions on perception of weight, patterns of physical exercise and dieting.