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Updated: May 20, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Family Anthropometric and Physiological Correlations With Parent- and Teacher-Rated Preschooler Socio-Behavioral
Jiying Ling1, Ethan Yaroch1, Yingcen Xie1
1Michigan State University College of Nursing, East Lansing, Michigan, USA.
Insights
Family health impacts preschooler behavior. Higher parent BMI correlated with child aggression, while better parent physiological health linked to fewer child internalizing behaviors, highlighting the family
Area of Science:
- Child development research
- Family health and behavior studies
- Early childhood education and psychology
Background:
- Parental and family health indicators are increasingly recognized for their potential influence on child development.
- Understanding these connections is crucial for early intervention and support programs.
- Socio-behavioral outcomes in preschoolers encompass a range of behaviors, from externalizing and internalizing issues to social skills.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the correlations between family anthropometric and physiological health and preschoolers' socio-behavioral outcomes.
- To examine relationships between parent body mass index (BMI), body fat, blood pressure (BP), and skin carotenoids with child behaviors.
- To assess associations with parent- and teacher-rated externalizing behaviors, internalizing behaviors, and social skills in preschoolers.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of baseline data from a cluster randomized clinical trial involving 168 preschoolers and 154 parents.
- Data collected from 16 Head Start centers in the Midwest U.S.
- Utilized generalized linear mixed-effects models to analyze parent and child health measures against socio-behavioral outcomes, controlling for center and classroom effects.
Main Results:
- Preschooler BMI-z was positively associated with teacher-rated social skills.
- Parental BMI positively correlated with child's self-centered/explosive and antisocial/aggressive behaviors.
- Parental body fat and systolic BP negatively associated with child's anxiety/somatic problems; parent skin carotenoids negatively associated with child's antisocial/aggressive behaviors.
Conclusions:
- Family anthropometric and physiological health significantly correlates with preschoolers' socio-behavioral development.
- Findings underscore the intricate link between family health status and early childhood socio-behavioral outcomes.
- Highlights the importance of considering family health in interventions aimed at improving child behavior and social skills.
Purpose:
This study investigated the correlations between family anthropometric and physiological health (i.e., body mass index [BMI], percent body fat, blood pressure [BP], skin carotenoids) and preschoolers' parent- and teacher-rated socio-behavioral outcomes (i.e., externalizing behaviors: self-centered/explosive, attention problems, antisocial/aggressive behaviors; internalizing behaviors: social withdrawal, anxiety/somatic problems; social skills: social cooperation, interaction, and independence).
Methods:
Baseline data from a cluster randomized clinical trial were analyzed using R 4.0. A total of 168 preschoolers (Mage = 46.98 months) and 154 parents (Mage = 31.3 years) were non-randomly recruited from 16 Head Start centers in the Midwest U.S. Both parents and teachers completed an online survey assessing preschoolers' socio-behavioral health, and blinded trained data collectors measured each dyad's height, weight, percent body fat, skin carotenoids, and parents' BP. Generalized linear mixed-effects models with restricted maximum likelihood estimation were applied, accounting for random cluster effects of childcare centers and classrooms.
Findings:
Preschoolers' BMI-z was positively associated with teacher-rated social skills (B = 3.66, p = 0.034). Parents' BMI had a positive relationship with preschoolers' self-centered/explosive behaviors (B = 0.61, p = 0.031) and antisocial/aggressive behaviors (B = 0.50, p = 0.045), while their percent body fat and systolic BP were negatively associated with preschoolers' anxiety/somatic problems (B = -0.40, p = 0.034; B = -0.31, p = 0.032). Preschoolers' skin carotenoids were positively correlated with their social independence (B = 0.07, p = 0.025), and parents' skin carotenoids were negatively associated with preschoolers' antisocial/aggressive behaviors (B = -0.07, p = 0.038).
Conclusions:
The results offer important insights into the complex impact of poor anthropometric and physiological health on socio-behavioral development during early childhood.
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