title: Do stressed mothers have heavier children? A meta-analysis on the relationship between maternal stress and child body mass index.
abstract: Child obesity continues to be a prevalent public health issue. This meta-analysis synthesized 17 studies investigating the association between levels of psychological stress experienced by mothers and the body mass index of their children. The overall standardized mean difference effect size was positive and significantly different from zero in cross-sectional d = 0.20 (k = 14, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.06, 0.34) and longitudinal studies d = 0.18 (k = 5, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.351) and had significant heterogeneity in both (cross-sectional, Q[13] = 193.00, P < 0.001; longitudinal, Q[4] = 29.46, P < 0.001). In longitudinal studies, effect sizes were larger when children also would have experienced the stressor, Q(6) = 4.68, P < 0.05, for toddlers than infants, Q(4) = 5.04, P < 0.05, and in higher quality studies, Q(4) = 14.58, P < 0.05. Results highlight the potential benefits of including a parent stress management component in childhood obesity prevention programmes.
authors: Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors: E B
authors: EB
authors: Tate
authors: W
authors: W
authors: Wood
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Liao
authors: G F
authors: GF
authors: Dunton
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D014481:United States
keywords: Body mass index; child obesity; maternal stress; stress