Research Article Maternal Perceptions of Self-Weight and Child Weight May Influence Milk Choice of Participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Loan P. Kim 1 and Nelly Mallo 2 1 Pepperdine University, Malibu, CA, USA 2 PHFE-WIC, Irwindale, CA, USA Correspondence should be addressed to Loan P. Kim; loan.kim@pepperdine.edu Received 31 May 2018; Accepted 11 December 2018; Published 3 January 2019 Guest Editor: Reem M. Sallam Copyright © 2019 Loan P. Kim and Nelly Mallo. is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Objective. To examine the association between maternal perceptions of self-weight and child weight status and milk consumption behavior of Hispanic WIC participants. Methods. Mixed methods design with phone survey (n � 529) and one-on-one interviews (n � 35). Demographic characteristics, Chi-square, and thematic analyses were conducted. Results. More than half of overweight mothers misperceived their own weight status as well as those of their children. Mothers who perceived their child to be overweight were more likely to make a healthier food choice for their family, namely, choosing reduced-fat milk instead of whole milk. Qualitative interviews revealed a cultural preference for larger size children, and mothers defined healthy weight for their child as a function of (1) the child’s ability to be as active as other children their age, regardless of child’s BMI, and (2) the pediatrician’s opinion of the child’s weight status. Conclusions. Maternal perception of self-weight and child weight status seems to guide milk choices. Mothers may have some level of recognition of overweight in themselves and their child, thus adopting healthier milk choices. Culturally related perceptions should be considered when designing obesity prevention strategies, and the role of a pediatrician cannot be understated when developing obesity prevention programs for Hispanic families. 1. Introduction Obesity rates have reached epidemic proportion in the United States among adults, with similar trends seen in children. Overweight in children is defined as a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 85 th percentile but lower than the95 th percentile, and obesity is defined as equal to or above the 95 th percentile BMI for age and sex based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reference data [1]. Long-term health consequences of obesity include di- abetes, heart disease, several types of cancers, cardiovascular disease, and premature death [2, 3]. Furthermore, over- weight children are more likely to become severely over- weight as adults, with significant chronic disease implications [4]. Recent data from 2012 found that more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese [5]. e prevalence of obesity among children aged 2 to 5 years has decreased from 13.9% in 2003-2004 to 8.4% in 2011-2012 [1], and this decline is controversial [1, 6]. Hispanics represent the largest immigrant group in the US, but they bear a disproportionately higher burden of obesity; NHANES data from 2011 to 2012 reveal significant disparities in obesity rates among low-income and ethnic minority children; the prevalence among children and ad- olescents was higher among Hispanics (22.4%) than non- Hispanic blacks (20.2%) and non-Hispanic whites (14.1%) [7]. A cross-sectional study of preschool-aged children in 20 urban cities in the US found that Hispanic children had the highest prevalence of obesity (25.8%) compared to non- Hispanic white children (14.8%) [8]. Children aged 2–5 of Hispanic descent are more likely to be overweight than their non-Hispanic white or black counterparts [5, 9]. Hindawi Journal of Obesity Volume 2019, Article ID 3654728, 9 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/3654728