Child-specific, maternal, and environmental stressors in the context of adolescent weight outcomes

Stress increases risk for pediatric obesity, yet limited research has simultaneously examined stressors from various areas of adolescent development while examining which stressors are most strongly associated with obesity risk. Among 675 adolescent-mother dyads from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development, child, maternal, and environmental stressors were associated with poorer weight outcomes. Independent markers of stress were associated with higher levels of adolescent zBMI, including lower cortisol levels, greater adolescent depressive symptoms, and lower income-to-needs ratio. Future interventions may build upon these findings to identify at-risk youth and further examine how stressors relate to pediatric obesity risk.