title: Psychosocial stressors and health behaviors: examining sleep, sedentary behaviors, and physical activity in a low-income pediatric sample.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To better understand the relationship between psychosocial stressors and health behaviors in a low-income pediatric sample.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 122 children (8-11 years old, 53.3% female) and their parents recruited from a low-income primary care clinic. Measures assessed child stressors and parental financial strain, and child sleep problems, sedentary behaviors, and physical activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Parental financial strain and child stressors were independently associated with sleep problems and sedentary behaviors, controlling for age and gender. Though stressors in general accounted for significant variance in physical activity, results indicate a complex relationship as parental financial strain predicted more physical activity and child stressors predicted less physical activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stressors are associated with adverse pediatric health behaviors. Consequently, chronic stressors could negatively affect long-term health, and interventions targeting stressors and health behaviors are indicated. Pediatric health care providers play a key role in promoting health behaviors among youth experiencing significant psychosocial stressors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588-0308, USA. alyssalundahl@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Alyssa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lundahl
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Tori R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Van Dyk
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: West
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011584:Psychology; D018570:Risk Assessment; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
keywords: pediatric health behaviors; physical activity; sedentary behaviors; sleep; stressors