Parental Perceived Stress and Its Association With Childhood Obesity in Spain: The PASOS Study

Introduction: Parental perceived stress (PPS) is proposed to be a factor influencing children's weight status through behavioral and environmental mechanisms. We assessed the association between PPS and weight status among Spanish children and adolescents. Methods: We used data from the first wave of the PASOS (Physical Activity, Sedentarism, and Obesity in Spanish Youth) study (2019-2020). The study included 1,023 children and adolescents whose parents completed the Perceived Stress Scale. Anthropometric measurements and data on physical activity, sleep, screen time, and dietary quality were collected. We classified parents into "low" stress (<50th percentile on Perceived Stress Scale) and "high" stress (≥50th percentile on Perceived Stress Scale). We assessed the association between PPS and obesity, adjusted for parents' perception of their own health and children's general fitness. We conducted linear regression analysis between PPS and children's body mass index (BMI) z score and waist-to-height ratio. Results: Children of parents with high PPS had higher mean BMI (19.9 [SD, 3.8] vs 19.5 [3.3]; P = .009) and poorer general fitness (P = .003) than children of parents with low PPS. The prevalence of obesity was higher among children of high-stress (vs low-stress) parents (4.0% vs 1.6%); this association remained significant after adjustment (adjusted OR = 2.76; 95% CI, 1.08-7.06; P = .03). The linear analysis showed positive associations between PPS and both children's BMI z score and waist-to-height ratio. Conclusion: Higher PPS was associated with an increased likelihood of obesity in Spanish children and adolescents. These findings underscore the importance of addressing family stress in strategies for preventing childhood obesity.

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Journal
Preventing Chronic Disease
Published
2026-07-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd23.260028
Primary Topic
Health and Lifestyle Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Parental Perceived Stress and Its Association With Childhood Obesity in Spain: The PASOS Study

Cristina Bouzas, Susana Aznar, Marta Sevilla-Sánchez, Luis Cereijo et al.
Preventing Chronic Disease
Health and Lifestyle Studies
article

Parental Perceived Stress and Its Association With Childhood Obesity in Spain: The PASOS Study

Cristina Bouzas, Susana Aznar, Marta Sevilla-Sánchez, Luis Cereijo, Narcís Gusi, Julia Wärnberǵ, Evelyn Martín-Moraleda, Luis Carmona-Rosado, Susana Pulgar, Lluís Serra‐Majem, Isabel María Morales‐Gil, Marina Ródenas-Munar, Adela Martín-Oliveros, Jesús Sánchez Gómez, Montse Fitó, Miguel Ángel González-Valeiro, Elena Marín-Cascales, Silvia García, Pedro E. Alcaraz, Ana Mateos-Lardiés, Augusto G. Zapico, Santiago F. Gómez, Helmut Schröder, Estefanía Herrera-Ramos, Josep A. Tur, Idoia Labayen, Marcela González-Gross, Paula Berruezo
article en

Abstract

Introduction: Parental perceived stress (PPS) is proposed to be a factor influencing children's weight status through behavioral and environmental mechanisms. We assessed the association between PPS and weight status among Spanish children and adolescents. Methods: We used data from the first wave of the PASOS (Physical Activity, Sedentarism, and Obesity in Spanish Youth) study (2019-2020). The study included 1,023 children and adolescents whose parents completed the Perceived Stress Scale. Anthropometric measurements and data on physical activity, sleep, screen time, and dietary quality were collected. We classified parents into "low" stress (<50th percentile on Perceived Stress Scale) and "high" stress (≥50th percentile on Perceived Stress Scale). We assessed the association between PPS and obesity, adjusted for parents' perception of their own health and children's general fitness. We conducted linear regression analysis between PPS and children's body mass index (BMI) z score and waist-to-height ratio. Results: Children of parents with high PPS had higher mean BMI (19.9 [SD, 3.8] vs 19.5 [3.3]; P = .009) and poorer general fitness (P = .003) than children of parents with low PPS. The prevalence of obesity was higher among children of high-stress (vs low-stress) parents (4.0% vs 1.6%); this association remained significant after adjustment (adjusted OR = 2.76; 95% CI, 1.08-7.06; P = .03). The linear analysis showed positive associations between PPS and both children's BMI z score and waist-to-height ratio. Conclusion: Higher PPS was associated with an increased likelihood of obesity in Spanish children and adolescents. These findings underscore the importance of addressing family stress in strategies for preventing childhood obesity.

Preventing Chronic DiseaseVol. 23
Universidade da Coruña (ES), Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ES), Universitat de Lleida (ES), Universidad Pública de Navarra (UPNA) (ES), Universidad de Alcalá (ES), Hospital Universitario Insular de Gran Canaria (ES), Gobierno del Principado de Asturias (ES), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ES), Gasol Foundation (ES), Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (ES), Sociedad Española de Farmacología Clínica (ES), Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (ES), Hospital Del Mar (ES), Sociedad Andaluza de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria (ES), Research Institute of Health Sciences (ES), Complejo Hospitalario de Cáceres (ES), Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (ES), Universitat de les Illes Balears (ES), Universidad Católica de Murcia (ES), University of Castilla-La Mancha (ES), Universidad de Extremadura (ES), Universidad de Málaga (ES), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ES)
Universidad de Málaga, Banco Santander, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Universitat de Lleida, Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red-Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición, Universidade da Coruña, Universidad de Extremadura, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 5%
Health and Lifestyle Studies
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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