Was retrieved. the who growth charts were used to classify the children’s baz scores. results: results show that 46% of the parents classified their child’s weight status incorrectly, they either overestimated or under- estimated their child’s body weight and/or shape. specifically, 52% of parents of overweight/obese children reported their children as normal weight. factors associated with parents’ child weight status misclassification child’s age (p = .771), ethnicity (p = .445), parents’ education (p = .227), and marital status (p = 0.07). conclusions: parental perception of child’s weight status has important implications in terms of changes household eating behaviours and attitudes. understanding the key factors affecting parental perception is of paramount importance when developing interventions and policies aimed at tackling child obesity. key messages: parents classify their children’s weight status incorrectly, making it hard for policy change to be effective. policy change can only happen if parents play an active role in understanding and perceiving if their child is overweight or obese