Introduction:

Obesity is one of the most severe public health problems of the 21st century. During childhood, the mother is the main care provider and model of the health the son´s behaviors; and thus, factors such as the mother's objectives and the food choices habits have an impact on the body mass index of the son.

Objective:

To identify if the objectives and food choices of the mother, as well as the specific food can predict the body mass index in pre-school children.

Method:

This is a descriptive and correlational study. 217 dyads (mother and pre-school son) participated. The Food Choices Questionnaire, the Integral Questionnaire on Feeding Practices and the Food Frequency Questionnaire were administered. Weight and size were measured. The body mass index was calculated and nutritional status was estimated. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including multiple linear regression, were obtained.

Results:

Convenience as an objective, the consumption of dairy products and sweet cereals, the age, and the mother’s body mass index, had an impact on the body mass index of the son and accounted for 28.3% of the explained variance.

Conclusion:

The studied variables had a minimal contribution to the BMI of the sons. It is recommended to carry out multivariate studies in order to explain more integrally the excess of weight among pre-school children.