Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Short Communication
  • Published:

A longitudinal analysis of the impact of childhood stress on weight status among Chinese youth

International Journal of Obesity volume 41, pages 820–823 (2017)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Limited research has explored longitudinal impact of stress on negative health outcomes, including overweight and obesity in Asian societies. Using data from a longitudinal school-based health promotion study conducted in Wuhan, China from 1999 to 2004, this study investigated the longitudinal effects of childhood stress exposure, including stressors related to school, family, peers, violence and health on overweight, and obesity risk during the transition to adolescence among 2179 Chinese adolescents. Results showed that health stressors were consistently related to higher BMI Z score for both boys and girls baseline, it also predicted higher likelihood of overweight status over time for girls. This finding highlights a particularly challenging time period for girls, suggesting a particular challenging time they face at the intersection of puberty and demanding school environment.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on SpringerLink
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Amuna P, Zotor FB . Epidemiological and nutrition transition in developing countries: impact on human health and development. Proc Nutr Soc 2008; 67: 82–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Cui Z, Huxley R, Wu Y, Dibley MJ . Temporal trends in overweight and obesity of children and adolescents from nine Provinces in China from 1991-2006. Int J Pediatr Obes 2010; 5: 365–374.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Xin Z, Zhang L, Liu D . Birth cohort changes of Chinese adolescents’ anxiety: a cross-temporal meta-analysis, 1992–2005. Pers Individ Dif 2010; 48: 208–212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Thompson RA . Stress and child development. Future Child 2014; 24: 41–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. van Jaarsveld CH, Fidler JA, Steptoe A, Boniface D, Wardle J . Perceived stress and weight gain in adolescence: a longitudinal analysis. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2009; 17: 2155–2161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Forum WE The Global Gender Gap Report 2015. World Economic Forum: Geneva, Switzerland, 2015. Report no. 9295044096.

  7. Nowak M, Speare R, Crawford D . Gender differences in adolescent weight and shape-related beliefs and behaviours. J Paediatr Child Health 1996; 32: 148–152.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Felts WM, Parrillo AV, Chenier T, Dunn P . Adolescents' perceptions of relative weight and self-reported weight- loss activities: analysis of 1990 YRBS (Youth Risk behavior Survey) national data. J Adolesc Health 1996; 18: 20–26.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Stevens J, Alexandrov AA, Smirnova SG, Deev AD, Gershunskaya Yu B, Davis CE et al. Comparison of attitudes and behaviors related to nutrition, body size, dieting, and hunger in Russian, black-American, and white-American adolescents. Obes Res 1997; 5: 227–236.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Story M, Hauck FR, Broussard BA, White LL, Resnick MD, Blum RW . Weight perceptions and weight control practices in American Indian and Alaska Native adolescents. A national survey. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1994; 148: 567–571.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Rinderknecht K, Smith C . Body-image perceptions among urban Native American youth. Obes Res 2002; 10: 315–327.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Pesa JA, Syre TR, Jones E . Psychosocial differences associated with body weight among female adolescents: the importance of body image. J Adolesc Health 2000; 26: 330–337.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Kelder SH, Perry CL, Klepp KL, Lytle LL . Longitudinal tracking of adolescent smoking, physical activity, and food choice behaviors. Am J Public Health 1994; 84: 1121–1126.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Spruijt-Metz D Adolescence Affect and Health. Psychology Press: London, UK, 1999.

  15. Unger JB, Yan L, Chen X, Jiang X, Azen S, Qian G et al. Adolescent smoking in Wuhan, China: baseline data from the Wuhan Smoking Prevention Trial. Am J Prev Med 2001; 21: 162–169.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Xie B, Li D, London S, Palmer P, Johnshon C, Li Y et al. Gender difference in interactions between MAOA promoter uVNTR polymorphism and negative familial stressors on body mass index among Chinese adolescents. Pediatr Obes 2014; 9: e80–e90.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Unger JB, Li Y, Johnson CA, Gong J, Chen X, Li C et al. Stressful life events among adolescents in Wuhan, China: associations with somking, alcohol use, and depressive symptoms. Int J Behav Med 2001; 8: 1–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Cole TJ, Bellizzi MC, Flegal KM, Dietz WH . Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide: international survey. BMJ 2000; 320: 1240–1243.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Fitzmaurice GM, Laird NM, Ware JH Applied Longitudinal Analysis, vol. 998. John Wiley and Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2012.

  20. Little R, Rubin DB Statistical Analysis With Missing Data. John Wiley and Sons: New York, NY, USA, 2002.

  21. Allison PD . Missing data. In: Michael SL-B (ed). Sage University Papers Series on Quantitative Applications in the Social Sciences. Sage Publications, Inc: Thousand Oaks, CA, USA, 2001.

  22. Hernandez DC, Pressler E . Gender disparities among the association between cumulative family-level stress and adolescent weight status. Prev Med 2015; 73: 60–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Xie B, Li D, London SJ, Palmer PH, Johnshon CA, Li Y et al. Gender difference in interactions between MAOA promoter uVNTR polymorphism and negative familial stressors on body mass index among Chinese adolescents. Pediatr Obes 2014; 9: e80–e90.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Claremont Graduate University/University of Southern California Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC), funded by the National Institutes of Health (grant #1 P50 CA84735-01, Johnson as PI), and the Sidney R Garfield Endowment. Manuscript preparation was partially supported by the grant (1 R03 CA172985-01, Xie as PI). WE thank the China Seven Cities Study (CSCS) directors and project staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the cities of Chengdu, Hangzhou, Harbin, Qingdao, Shenyang, and Wuhan and the Institute for Health Education in Kunming, People’s Republic of China, for assistance with project coordination and data collection. We also thank the principals, physicians and teachers in the participating schools for their cooperation. Finally, we express our gratitude to the national Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Peking University School of Public Health, and the municipal government, Health Bureau, and Education Committee in each participating city for their support.

Author information

Author notes

  1. H C Tanenbaum and Y Li: These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, CA, USA

    H C Tanenbaum, J Q Felicitas-Perkins, M Zhang, P Palmer, C A Johnson & B Xie

  2. School of Social Work, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Y Li

Authors
  1. H C Tanenbaum
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Y Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J Q Felicitas-Perkins
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. P Palmer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. C A Johnson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. B Xie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to H C Tanenbaum, Y Li or B Xie.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tanenbaum, H., Li, Y., Felicitas-Perkins, J. et al. A longitudinal analysis of the impact of childhood stress on weight status among Chinese youth. Int J Obes 41, 820–823 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.26

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2017.26

Search

Advanced search

Quick links