Longitudinal associations of maternal stress and child stress with child body mass index trajectory

Abstract

Summary Background Although exposure to stress is common among children and their parents, longitudinal research on the effects of perceived stress on child obesity risk is lacking. This study examined the 3‐year longitudinal associations of children and mothers' perceived stress with children's body mass index (BMI). Methods A sample of 199 mothers and their children (8‐12 years at baseline, 56% Hispanic) completed six semi‐annual assessments across 3 years with questionnaire‐based self‐report measures of perceived stress and measured height/weight. Parallel process latent growth curve modelling specified regressions of latent intercept and slope of children's BMI on latent intercepts and slopes for mothers' and children's perceived stress. Results Greater child self‐reported perceived stress at baseline predicted greater increase in children's BMI across the six assessments whereas mother self‐reported perceived stress at baseline was unrelated to change in child BMI. Baseline child BMI was unrelated to change in children or mothers' perceived stress across the six assessment waves. Conclusion Children's own perceptions of stress may play a larger contributing role in BMI progression during middle childhood than their mother's perceived stress levels. These findings underscore the importance of focusing on children's stress‐coping strategies for promoting a healthy weight.

The Great Recession weighted on Portuguese children: A structural equation modeling approach considering eating patterns

“…Constricting economic resources can render healthful foods unaffordable leading to increased consumption of cheaper, energy-dense food, and decrease consumption of fruits and vegetables (Dave & Kelly, 2012;InfoFamília, 2014;Ludwig & Pollack, 2009). Apart from price, the financial strain on individuals and households during recessions are likely to increase stress (Ruhm, 2000) and lead individuals to prefer fatty and sweet foods and frequently to consume more calories (Michels et al, 2012) and consequently, influence the BMI trajectory (Dunton et al, 2021). We found that the eating patterns indirectly influenced the relation between the economic crisis and the BMI in two different ways.…”

Untitled

“…Maternal mental health not only impacts the health of the mother, but it can also have long lasting implications for infant and child development [8][9][10][11][12]. In the past 30 years, a substantial body of evidence is building on Barker's theory of the developmental origin of health and disease (DoHD) which demonstrated that adverse maternal conditions, such as stress during the first 1000 days of life can increase the risk of metabolic, immunologic, and neurobehavioral disorders in offspring [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22]. Given that perinatal maternal stress is a prevalent and modifiable factor that affects maternal, foetal and child health it requires focused attention in research and preventative health care.…”