Exploring the Association Between Parenting Stress and Child Body Mass Index in an Ethnically Diverse, Low Income Sample of Families Participating in a Family-Based Obesity Prevention Intervention

Abstract

Research has demonstrated that parents influence children’s obesity risk through feeding behaviours, modeling of weight-related behaviours and through the provision of an environment that can either assist or impede healthy lifestyles. It is less known how the general home environment, including parental stress, may influence children’s weight. To explore the association between parental stress and child BMI, using cross-sectional data. Baseline measures from 101 parent-child dyads participating in a family-based obesity prevention intervention were used to explore the association using the parent-distress subscale of the Parenting Stress Index Short-Form (PSI-SF) and child BMI z-scores. Parents (94% mothers) scored an average of 28.4 +/- 10.7 on the PSI-SF. Using the CDC growth charts, 43% of children were overweight/obese. This was an ethnically diverse (30% African American, 35% Latino) and low-income sample (32% earning <$19000/year). Preliminary results suggest that parenting stress is not significantly associated with child BMI z-scores (r=0.09, F (1, 99)=1.33,p=0.25) in this population. Among this ethnically diverse, low income sample, an association between parenting stress and child BMI z-scores was not found. This sample of parents may be relatively high functioning, with positive coping mechanisms for daily stressors. Future research should focus on community-based samples not attending family-based programs.