Psychosocial stress and obesity in Kaunas children

Abstract

Recent research has found that family socioeconomic status, parenting stress and other environmental factors can have impacts on child development. The aim of this study was to assess the association between psychosocial stress in the family and risk for obesity among 4−6 year old children. Methods This nested case-control study included 1,489 Kaunas Cohort Birth Study children followed-up for 4−6 years. We used the Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction subscale of the Parenting Stress Index (short form) and questionnaires on child development to assess risk factors for children obesity. The body mass index status for age was calculated and the risk factors for being overweight/obese were estimated. Logistic regression models were fitted to examine the associations as odds ratios (OR) between the parent-child relationship and the risk of overweight, adjusted for relevant covariates. The Kaunas Pregnant Women Birth Cohort had 3 ethical approvals conducted by the Lithuanian Bioethics Committee. Results A total of 6.8% of the children were overweight and 5.4% were obese. Children from smoking families with lower education faced almost double the risk of obesity. The stratified multivariate model showed that, with reference to the group of high educated and normal parent-child relations, low educated and pathological parent-child relationships were statistically significant risk factors for overweight children of 4–6 years old (OR 2.43; 95% confidence interval 1.31–4.51). Conclusion Maternal tobacco smoking and pathological parent-child relations may be predictors of overweight and obesity throughout the developmental trajectory of childhood. Measures to quit smoking and psychosocial stress management should be encouraged among pregnant women to decrease their children’s obesity risk.