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Stress is Associated with Adiposity in Parents of Young Children
Author(s) -
Hruska Valerie,
Ambrose Tory,
Darlington Gerarda,
Ma David W. L.,
Haines Jess,
Buchholz Andrea C.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.22710
Subject(s) - waist , medicine , distress , demography , waist to height ratio , body mass index , young adult , obesity , fat mass , clinical psychology , sociology
Objective This study investigated associations between stress (general stress, parenting distress, and household chaos) and adiposity among parents of young children. Methods The sample consisted of 49 mothers and 61 fathers from 70 families with young children living in Ontario, Canada. Linear regression using generalized estimating equations was used to investigate associations between stress measures and BMI, waist circumference (WC), waist to height ratio (WHtR), and percent fat mass. Results General stress was significantly associated with BMI ( β ^ = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.04‐1.03) and WC ( β ^ = 1.44; 95% CI: 0.10‐2.77). Parenting distress was significantly associated with BMI ( β ^ = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.02‐0.31), WC ( β ^ = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.04‐0.75), and WHtR ( β ^ = 0.003; 95% CI: 0.001‐0.005). Household chaos was significantly associated with all adiposity measures (BMI: β ^ = 0.20 [95% CI: 0.08‐0.33]; WC: β ^ = 0.48 [95% CI: 0.21‐0.75]; WHtR: β ^ = 0.003 [95% CI: 0.001‐0.005]; percent fat mass: β ^ = 0.29 [95% CI: 0.08‐0.49]). Conclusions General stress, parenting distress, and household chaos are associated with adiposity among parents of young children. Future research should elucidate mechanisms by which this occurs and elucidate how this risk may be mitigated.