Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Getting to Compliance in Forced Exercise in Rodents: A Critical Standard to Evaluate Exercise Impact in Aging-related Disorders and Disease
Published on: August 22, 2014
Stress, race, and body weight
Karen Hye-cheon Kim1, Zoran Bursac, Vicki DiLillo
1Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA. khk@uams.edu
Objective:
Stress has been identified as a significant factor in health and in racial/ethnic health disparities. A potential mediator in these relationships is body weight.
Design:
Cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between stress, race, and body weight were examined in an ethnically diverse sample of overweight and obese women with Type 2 diabetes (n = 217) enrolled in a behavioral weight loss program.
Main Outcome Measures:
Stress (Perceived Stress Scale) was assessed at baseline only and body weight (body mass index) was assessed at baseline and 6 months.
Results:
Stress was not related to baseline body weight. With every 1 unit lower scored on the baseline stress measure, women lost 0.10 kg +/- .04 more at 6 months (p < .05). When women were divided into tertiles based on baseline stress scores, those in the lowest stress group had significantly greater weight loss (5.2 kg +/- 4.9) compared with those in the highest stress group (3.0 kg +/- 4.0) (p < .05). There was a trend for African Americans to report higher levels of stress (20.7 +/- 8.8) than Whites (18.3 +/- 8.3) (p = .08).
Conclusion:
The association between higher stress and diminished weight loss has implications for enhancing weight loss programs for women with Type 2 diabetes.
Related Concept Videos
Exercise and Muscle Performance
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
Stereotypes, Prejudice, and Discrimination
Regression Toward the Mean
Obesity
Mass and Weight
Mass and Weight

