title: Parenting stress: a cross-sectional analysis of associations with childhood obesity, physical activity, and TV viewing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Parents influence their children's obesity risk through feeding behaviours and modeling of weight-related behaviours. Little is known about how the general home environment, including parental stress, may influence children's weight. The objective of this study was to explore the association between parenting stress and child body mass index (BMI) as well as obesity risk factors, physical activity and television (TV) viewing.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used cross-sectional data from 110 parent-child dyads participating in a community-based parenting intervention. Child heights and weights were measured by trained research assistants. Parents (93% mothers) reported level of parenting stress via the Parenting Stress Index- Short Form (PSI-3-SF) as well as children's activity behaviours and TV viewing. This was an ethnically diverse (55% Hispanic/Latino, 22% Black), low-income (64% earning < $45,000/year) sample.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Level of parenting stress was not associated with children's risk of being overweight/obese. Children with highly stressed parents were less likely to meet physical activity guidelines on weekdays than children with normally stressed parents (OR = 0.33, 95% CI, 0.12-0.95). Parents experiencing high stress were less likely to set limits on the amount of TV their children watched (OR = 0.32, 95% CI, 0.11, 0.93).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest stress specific to parenting may not be associated with increased obesity risk among children. However, future interventions may need to address stress as a possible underlying factor associated with unhealthful behaviours among preschoolers.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, N1G 2 W1 Guelph, Ontario, Canada. kwalton@uoguelph.ca.
authors.forename: Kathryn
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Walton
authors.forename: Janis Randall
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Simpson
authors.forename: Gerarda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Darlington
authors.forename: Jess
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Haines
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013690:Television