Background: Obesity among women of reproductive age remains a major public health concern in the United Kingdom, with long-term implications for maternal and child health. Research has largely focused on pregnancy and the early postpartum period, leaving limited understanding of weight management behaviours among mothers of primary school children. This paper addresses this gap by examining knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of weight management within this population.

Methods: A cross-sectional quantitative design was employed using data from 267 mothers residing in Sunderland. A structured questionnaire assessed knowledge, attitude and practice of weight management alongside socio-demographic characteristics. Scores were standardised and categorised using a 70% threshold. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise distributions, while Pearson’s correlation analysis examined relationships between KAP components.

Results: The findings reveal a marked divergence across the three domains. A high proportion of participants (88%) demonstrated good knowledge, with a mean score of 79.71. In contrast, only 43% exhibited a positive attitude, while just 4.2% reported good practice. Correlation analysis showed a weak but significant association between knowledge and attitude (r = 0.21, p < 0.05) and between attitude and practice (r = 0.18, p < 0.05). No significant relationship was observed between knowledge and practice (r = 0.05, p > 0.05).

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate a clear knowledge–behaviour gap, with high levels of awareness failing to translate into effective weight management practices. Attitude plays a partial mediating role but does not fully bridge this gap. These results highlight the need for interventions that extend beyond information provision to address behavioural and contextual factors influencing engagement. Supporting sustained behaviour change among mothers remains essential for improving maternal health outcomes and reducing the long-term burden of obesity.

Knowledge, attitude and practice, weight management, mothers, health behaviour, obesity, public health, behaviour change

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