Researchers from Linkping University assessed the stress levels of 7,443 families by evaluating disruptive life events such as family accidents, sickness, divorce, unemployment, violence, or death. They also counted stressors such as marital and parenting problems, lack of social networks, and concerns about children's health and development.
The study began when the children were infants. When it ended five years later, the researchers noted that the obesity rate of the children from high-stress families was double the rate of those whose families had fewer stressful incidents.
Lead author Felix-Sebastian Koch said that stress is not the only factor involved in childhood obesity, and that it probably interacts with other factors, especially if stress levels become too great for a family to handle.
This study appears in the Journal of Pediatrics.
Labels: mental_health, stress, sickness
Posted By: Aspen Education Group
