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Associations of maternal stress with children's weight-related behaviours: a systematic literature review

S G O'Connor1, J P Maher1, B R Belcher1

  • 1Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.

Obesity Reviews : an Official Journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity
|March 16, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Maternal stress is linked to children

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Obesity Research
  • Maternal Health Studies
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern in the US.
  • Parental factors, particularly maternal influences, are crucial in shaping children's weight-related behaviors.
  • Maternal stress is prevalent and may impact child health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically review the existing literature on the association between maternal stress and children's weight-related behaviors.
  • To synthesize findings regarding maternal stress and dietary intake, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in children.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search for studies examining maternal stress and child weight-related behaviors.
  • Inclusion of 14 eligible articles, analyzing 25 unique associations.
  • Categorization of behaviors into healthy diet, unhealthy diet, physical activity, and sedentary behavior.

Main Results:

  • Mixed findings regarding the association between maternal stress and children's dietary intake (healthy and unhealthy).
  • Consistent evidence suggests maternal stress is associated with reduced physical activity in children.
  • Fairly consistent evidence indicates maternal stress is linked to increased sedentary behavior in children.

Conclusions:

  • Maternal stress does not appear to be consistently associated with children's dietary habits.
  • Maternal stress shows a consistent association with decreased physical activity and increased sedentary behavior in children.
  • Future research should employ prospective designs and advanced data collection to understand underlying mechanisms.

Keywords:
Childhood obesitymaternal mental healthweight-related behaviour

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