Associations Among Body Mass Index, Depression, and Family Factors Across Two Generations

Authors: Hooper, Lisa¹; Richardson, Mark²; Knol, Linda³; White-Chapman, Nyshetia⁴; Qu, Lixin⁵; Hannah, Natalie⁶

Source: Contemporary Family Therapy, Volume 32, Number 3, September 2010 , pp. 320-334(15)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

In this pilot study, we examined the relationship between health factors, sociodemographic factors, and body mass index (BMI) across two generations (n = 41 parent-child pairs). Generation 1 study variables included parent- and family-focused characteristics and health variables, the Generation 2 variables included child demographic factors, and the outcome variable was youths' physical health (operationalized as BMI). Regression models revealed that Generation 1 variables, taken together, accounted for 26% of the variance in youth BMI. However, only the parent's mental health symptoms (i.e., depression symptoms) made a unique contribution to the variance in youth BMI. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the youths' race and age—but no other demographic factor—were significantly related to youth BMI-for-age. Our findings suggest that youth race, age, and parent mental health are each associated with youth physical health (i.e., BMI), confirming previous study findings that parental factors and demographic factors should be considered when exploring youth health outcomes.

Keywords: Body mass index; Inter-generational health; Mental health; Youth health; Family systems; Depression

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10591-010-9125-3

Affiliations: 1: Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling, The University of Alabama, Box 870231, 315 B Graves Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487-0231, USA, Email: lhooper@bamaed.ua.edu 2: Department of Kinesiology, The University of Alabama, Box 870231, 208 Moore Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA, Email: mrichard@bama.ua.edu 3: Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, The University of Alabama, Box 870158, 206 Doster Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA, Email: lknol@bama.ua.edu 4: Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling, The University of Alabama, Box 870231, 315 B Graves Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487-0231, USA, Email: nlwhite@crimson.ua.edu 5: Center for the Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems, The University of Alabama, Box 870348, 20 Research Drive, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA, Email: lxqu@bama.ua.edu 6: Department of Educational Studies in Psychology, Research Methodology, and Counseling, The University of Alabama, Box 870231, 315 B Graves Hall, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487-0231, USA, Email: nataliejhannah@gmail.com

Publication date: 2010-09-01

Associations Among Body Mass Index, Depression, and Family Factors Across Two Generations

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