Girls growing up in homes where there are, inter alia, violence or drugs, they are almost twice as likely to be obese by the age of five, according to the researchers, whose findings appear in the journal Pediatrics.
This conclusion comes from the analysis conducted in the United States among over 1,6 thousand. children most often coming from families with low income or raised only by their mother. About half of the children were black, 27 percent were black. Latin American origin and 22 percent. Caucasian.
When the children were between the ages of 1 and 3, the researchers interviewed their mothers about six stressors: domestic violence, depression, drug use, unstable housing, lack of adequate nutrition, and whether the child’s father was in prison.
After a few years, the researchers found that girls whose mothers identified at least two of these stressors were twice as likely to be obese at the age of five. However, a similar relationship was not noticed in boys.
“Previous studies have shown that girls respond to stress differently. They are more prone to internalization and depressive behavior. Additionally, early childhood boys tend to be more active and pay less attention to the problems experienced by the mother, ”says study author Shakira Suglia from Columbia University.
“There is a huge link between stress, unhealthy habits and obesity. Many specialists say that in order to fight obesity, psychological problems and stress must first be overcome, ”comments Christina Bethell, pediatrician at Oregon Health & Science University, commented.
There may also be other factors involved. Stressed mothers who have to deal with a very volatile financial situation or violence may not be emotionally available. To keep children busy, they seat them in front of the TV and feed them with unhealthy food to solve their problems, Suglia adds.