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Children's Body composition and Stress - the ChiBS study: aims, design, methods, population and participation

Nathalie Michels1, Barbara Vanaelst, Krishna Vyncke

  • 1Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, De Pintelaan 185, 2 Blok A, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium. nathalie.michels@ugent.be.

Archives of Public Health = Archives Belges De Sante Publique
|September 11, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Childhood obesity is rising, and this study explores how chronic stress impacts children's body composition. Researchers are investigating the links between stress, appetite, and physical activity in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health Nutrition

Background:

  • Rising prevalence of childhood obesity necessitates understanding contributing factors beyond diet and activity.
  • Chronic psychosocial stress is increasingly recognized as a significant factor in obesity development.
  • Further research is needed on stress's influence on appetite, energy balance, body composition, and interactions with lifestyle in children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of chronic stress on changes in body composition in primary school children.
  • To examine the relationship between stress biomarkers, lifestyle factors (physical activity, diet, sleep), and body composition.
  • To describe the aims, design, methods, participation, and population characteristics of the Children's Body composition and Stress (ChiBS) study.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study over two years (2010-2012) involving primary school children (6-12 years) in Flanders, Belgium.
  • Stress assessment using questionnaires (child/parent-reported) and objective biomarkers (serum, salivary, hair cortisol, heart rate variability).
  • Body composition measured via anthropometrics and air displacement plethysmography; lifestyle data collected through questionnaires and accelerometers.

Main Results:

  • High participation rate of 68.7% (523/761 children), with 71.3% continuing to the first follow-up.
  • Highest drop-out rates observed for serum sampling (12.1%), salivary sampling (8.3%), and heart rate variability (7.4%).

Conclusions:

  • The ChiBS study offers a unique, standardized, longitudinal dataset on stress and body composition in a large pediatric cohort.
  • Provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between chronic stress and changes in children's body composition.
  • Enables in-depth validation of various methods used for assessing stress levels in children.
Abstract

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