Maternal stress during pregnancy and children’s diet: Evidence from a population of low socioeconomic status

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between maternal exposure to stress during pregnancy and children's food preferences and diet in a population of low socioeconomic status. Methods: Indices of exposure to stress were constructed based on retrospective self-reported experience of stressful events during pregnancy (e.g., death of close family member, relationship difficulties, legal issues, health issues, financial issues, or other potentially stressful event[s]). Data were collected for >200 mothers of a low socioeconomic status with a child age 2 to 12 y. Data on mothers' body mass index, current exposure to stress, current diet, and diet during pregnancy were collected at the same time, as well as data on children's food preferences and current diet as reported by the mothers. Indices of the healthiness of food preferences and diet were constructed and used as outcome variables. Results: Maternal exposure to stress during pregnancy significantly predicts children's food and taste preferences, as well as their diet, in regression models controlling for maternal diet, current maternal stress, and demographic characteristics of both the child and mother. Higher average stress during pregnancy is linked with significantly less healthy food preferences and diet, as well as with weaker preferences for sour and bitter foods. This relationship is observed across different age groups. Conclusions: Maternal exposure to stress during pregnancy could have long-term detrimental effects on dietary outcomes and thereby on health conditions related to diet. Prenatal care and preconception counseling could be critical to develop preventive strategies to improve public health.

A framework for testing pathways from prenatal stress-responsive hormones to cardiovascular disease risk

“…Prenatal factors like maternal stress, depression, and anxiety activate prenatal stress-responsive hormones ( 16 , 37 , 38 , 155 , 172 ), which may then be associated with altered offspring diet and eating behaviors. Prenatal maternal stress has been examined in relation to offspring dietary quality and eating behaviors in humans ( 173 , 174 ). Maternal stress across pregnancy is linked to lower preference for and consumption of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and non-processed foods in childhood, indicating poor dietary quality ( 173 ).…”

“…Prenatal maternal stress has been examined in relation to offspring dietary quality and eating behaviors in humans ( 173 , 174 ). Maternal stress across pregnancy is linked to lower preference for and consumption of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, and non-processed foods in childhood, indicating poor dietary quality ( 173 ). Similarly, maternal prenatal stress predicts greater offspring disordered eating behaviors in early adolescence ( 174 ).…”

Eating habits, food consumption, and health: The role of early life experiences

“…Since we find that more severe meat scarcity during childhood leads to overconsumption later in life, this may explain why the estimated effects are stronger for females. The observed overconsumption of meat later in life among individuals aged 0-2 during WWII may be a result of in utero effects (Vitt et al, 2022) or a compensatory investment on the part of parents, in the spirit of Yi et al (2015). That is, when WWII ended, parents may have tried to offset the meat scarcity experienced by their children during the war by providing them with relatively more meat.…”