Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 26, 2025

Author Spotlight: Collecting the Brain and Serum from the Same Mice Fetus to Study Brain Tumor Development
05:44

Author Spotlight: Collecting the Brain and Serum from the Same Mice Fetus to Study Brain Tumor Development

Published on: May 17, 2024

869

Temperament, socioeconomic adversity, and perinatal risk as related to preschoolers' BMI

Tiffany L Martoccio1, Neda Senehi2, Holly E Brophy-Herb3

  • 1Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland College Park.

Health Psychology : Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association
|December 14, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Highly reactive children born with perinatal risks show increased BMI with socioeconomic adversity. Temperament influences how children respond to their environment, impacting obesity risk.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Pediatric Obesity Research
  • Developmental Psychology

Background:

  • Childhood obesity disparities highlight the need to understand factors influencing weight in at-risk populations.
  • Temperamental reactivity is a biological indicator of sensitivity to environmental influences.
  • Children born with perinatal risks face heightened vulnerability to socioeconomic challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if temperamental reactivity moderates the association between socioeconomic risk and Body Mass Index (BMI) in preschoolers.
  • To identify risk-augmenting and risk-protective factors for childhood obesity in socioeconomically disadvantaged children with perinatal risk.

Main Methods:

  • Studied 100 Head Start preschoolers (mean age 4.07 years) with perinatal risk (preterm birth or low birth weight).
  • Collected anthropometric measurements and parental data on demographics and food insecurity to create a cumulative socioeconomic risk score.
  • Assessed preschoolers' temperamental reactivity using the Children's Behavior Questionnaire.

Main Results:

  • Temperamental reactivity significantly moderated the relationship between socioeconomic risk and child BMI z-score (BMIz).
  • Highly reactive children exposed to higher socioeconomic risk exhibited higher BMIz.
  • Highly reactive children exposed to lower socioeconomic risk showed lower BMIz.

Conclusions:

  • Highly reactive preschoolers with perinatal risk are differentially susceptible to socioeconomic adversity, impacting BMI in a "for better or for worse" manner.
  • Temperament can serve as a biological marker for sensitivity to context in obesity prevention strategies.
  • Interventions for low-income preschoolers with perinatal risk should consider individual temperamental differences.
Abstract

More Related Videos

Author Spotlight: Exploring Microglial Interactions with Stress-Response Circuitry Using the Limited Bedding and Nesting Model04:20

Author Spotlight: Exploring Microglial Interactions with Stress-Response Circuitry Using the Limited Bedding and Nesting Model

Published on: July 12, 2024

2.2K
Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood08:09

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood

Published on: February 11, 2017

11.8K

Related Concept Videos

Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
254
Relationship with Parents: Attachment01:28

Relationship with Parents: Attachment

Parent-child interactions lay the foundation for how we understand relationships throughout life. These interactions are not uniform across families; instead, they are shaped by a range of environmental, emotional, and behavioral factors unique to each caregiver-child dynamic. Social psychologists study these early relationships to understand how patterns formed in infancy influence social functioning and interpersonal behavior in adulthood.Attachment Theory and Early Relational ModelsJohn...
116
Environmental Influences on Intelligence01:29

Environmental Influences on Intelligence

Despite the strong genetic influence on traits like intelligence, environmental factors significantly shape outcomes. For example, while over 90% of height variation is due to genetic differences, environmental factors such as nutrition also have a notable impact. Similarly, for intelligence, changes in a child's surroundings can significantly alter their IQ. Research shows that enriched environments boost children's academic success and help them develop key cognitive skills. Children...
646
Adler's Individual Psychology01:28

Adler's Individual Psychology

Alfred Adler, a prominent figure in psychology, founded the school of individual psychology. In contrast to Freud's emphasis on sexual or aggressive motives, Adler suggested that individuals are primarily motivated by their purposes and goals. He believed that people strive for perfection rather than pleasure. Adler argued that individuals could creatively act upon their genetic inheritance and environmental experiences to shape their own lives, emphasizing conscious motivation over...
1.8K
Nature and Nurture01:10

Nature and Nurture

Many human characteristics, like height, are shaped by both nature—in other words, by our genes—and by nurture, or our environment. For example, chronic stress during childhood inhibits the production of growth hormones and consequently reduces bone growth and height. Scientists estimate that 70-90% of variation in height is due to genetic differences among individuals, and 10-30% of variation in height is due to differences in the environments that individuals experience,...
21.6K
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder01:30

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It affects approximately 5-8% of children globally, with around 60-70% of cases persisting into adulthood. ADHD has significant implications for educational attainment, social interactions, and occupational success.
Diagnostic Criteria and Symptoms
To diagnose ADHD, symptoms must manifest before age 12 and be evident across multiple settings....
565