Parental Stress Linked to Children’s Obesity

Caution is the word for the parents who are burdened with a higher number of stressors in their lives. The latest study states that such parents are more likely to have obese children.

"Stress in parents may be an important risk factor for child obesity and related behaviors," said Elizabeth Prout-Parks, M.D., a physician nutrition specialist at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, who led the study.

They also state that when parents perceive themselves to be stressed, their children eat fast food more often compared to children whose parents feel less stressed.

According to Prout-Parks, among the parental stressors associated with childhood obesity are poor physical and mental health, financial strain, and leading a single-parent household.

There were studies that showed link between parental stress and child obesity, but this is the first study that looks at a more diverse population, both ethnically and socioeconomically, than did previous studies.

The study team suggested that interferences meant at dropping parental stress and instructing coping skills may help public health campaigns in addressing childhood obesity.

For the study the researchers analyzed self-reported data from 2,119 parents and caregivers who participated in telephone surveys in the 2006 Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey/Community Health Database, conducted in Philadelphia and neighboring suburbs.

The participants included children aged 3 to 17, among whom 25 percent were obese. Among the variables included were parental stressors, parent-perceived stress, age, race, health quality and gender of children, adult levels of education, BMI, gender, sleep quality, and outcomes such as child obesity, fast-food consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity.

They noticed that single-parent households had the strongest relationship with child obesity. On the other hand financial stress had the strongest relationship for a child not being physically active. They also noticed that neither parent stressors nor parent-perceived stress was a reason for decreased fruit and vegetable consumption by their children.

This is the first study to reveal a link between parent-perceived stress and more frequent fast-food consumption by children.

The researchers predict that parents experiencing stress may buy more fast food for the family, to save time or reduce the demands of meal preparation.

"Although multiple stressors can elicit a 'stressor pile-up,' causing adverse physical health in children, parent's perception of their general stress level may be more important than the actual stressors," the authors write.

 A further study is required on child obesity to examine other family behaviors and community factors not available in the current study.

 In addition, "Clinical care, research and other programs might reduce levels of childhood obesity by developing supportive measures to reduce stressors on parents," said Prout-Parks. "Teaching alternative coping strategies to parents might also help them to reduce their perceived stress."