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Family Stress Is Inversely Associated With Sugar Intake in Preschool-Aged Girls

Anisha Mahajan1, Valerie Hruska2, Jessica Yu2

  • 1Department of Human Health Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada; College of Pharmacy and Nutrition, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
|January 31, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Family stress impacts preschool girls' sugar intake, with higher family dysfunction linked to lower sugar consumption. This association was not observed in boys, suggesting sex-specific effects.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Family Health Studies
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Family stress is a significant environmental factor influencing child health behaviors.
  • Understanding the relationship between family stress and dietary habits is crucial for early intervention.
  • Previous research has not fully explored sex-specific associations between family stress and sugar intake in preschoolers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between family stress (household chaos, family dysfunction) and sugar intake (total, free, added) in preschool-aged children.
  • To determine if this association differs between boys and girls.
  • To provide insights into sex-differentiated nutritional patterns within families experiencing stress.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from 210 families and 267 children (mean age 3.6 years) from the Guelph Family Health Study.
  • Assessed family stress using validated measures of household chaos and family dysfunction.
  • Quantified sugar intake via an Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Dietary Assessment Tool and analyzed associations using linear regression models with generalized estimating equations.

Main Results:

  • An inverse association was found between family dysfunction and girls' intake of total, free, and added sugars (controlling for covariates).
  • Specifically, higher family dysfunction correlated with lower sugar consumption in girls (e.g., total sugars: β = -3.8, P = 0.03).
  • No significant associations between family stress measures and sugar intake were observed in boys.

Conclusions:

  • The findings suggest that the relationship between family stress and sugar intake is sex-dependent in preschool children.
  • Family dysfunction may play a protective role against high sugar intake in girls, warranting further investigation.
  • These results highlight the importance of considering child sex when examining family environmental influences on pediatric dietary behaviors.
Abstract

Keywords:
childrenhousehold chaoshousehold dysfunctionpreschoolsugar

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