Stress is Associated with Adiposity in Parents of Young Children.

Abstract

This study investigated associations between stress (general stress, parenting distress, and household chaos) and adiposity among parents of young children. 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. General stress was significantly associated with BMI ( <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mover><mi>β</mi> <mo>^</mo></mover> </math>  = 0.54; 95% CI: 0.04-1.03) and WC ( <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mover><mi>β</mi> <mo>^</mo></mover> </math>  = 1.44; 95% CI: 0.10-2.77). Parenting distress was significantly associated with BMI ( <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mover><mi>β</mi> <mo>^</mo></mover> </math>  = 0.16; 95% CI: 0.02-0.31), WC ( <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mover><mi>β</mi> <mo>^</mo></mover> </math>  = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.04-0.75), and WHtR ( <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mover><mi>β</mi> <mo>^</mo></mover> </math>  = 0.003; 95% CI: 0.001-0.005). Household chaos was significantly associated with all adiposity measures (BMI: <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mover><mi>β</mi> <mo>^</mo></mover> </math>  = 0.20 [95% CI: 0.08-0.33]; WC: <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mover><mi>β</mi> <mo>^</mo></mover> </math>  = 0.48 [95% CI: 0.21-0.75]; WHtR: <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mover><mi>β</mi> <mo>^</mo></mover> </math>  = 0.003 [95% CI: 0.001-0.005]; percent fat mass: <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mover><mi>β</mi> <mo>^</mo></mover> </math>  = 0.29 [95% CI: 0.08-0.49]). 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.