Maternal stress and early childhood BMI among US children from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program

on behalf of program collaborators for Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes, ECHO Components, Coordinating Center, Data Analysis Center, Person-Reported Outcomes Core, ECHO Awardees and Cohorts

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Background: We aimed to understand the association between maternal stress in the first year of life and childhood body mass index (BMI) from 2 to 4 years of age in a large, prospective United States-based consortium of cohorts. Methods: We used data from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes program. The main exposure was maternal stress in the first year of life measured with the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The main outcome was the first childhood BMI percentile after age 2 until age 4 years. We used an adjusted linear mixed effects model to examine associations between BMI and PSS quartile. Results: The mean BMI percentile in children was 59.8 (SD 30) measured at 3.0 years (SD 1) on average. In both crude models and models adjusted for maternal BMI, age, race, ethnicity, infant birthweight, and health insurance status, no linear associations were observed between maternal stress and child BMI. Conclusions: Among 1694 maternal–infant dyads, we found no statistically significant relationships between maternal perceived stress in the first year of life and child BMI after 2 through 4 years. Impact: Although existing literature suggests relationships between parental stress and childhood BMI, we found no linear associations between maternal stress in the first year of life and childhood BMI at 2–4 years of age among participants in ECHO cohorts.Higher maternal stress was significantly associated with Hispanic ethnicity, Black race, and public health insurance.Our analysis of a large, nationally representative sample challenges assumptions that maternal stress in the first year of life, as measured by a widely used scale, is associated with offspring BMI.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)2085-2091
Number of pages7
JournalPediatric research
Volume94
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2023

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health

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