Stress-induced Eating Behavior: Implications for Pediatric Obesity Disparities

In the United States, pediatric obesity has more than tripled in the last 30 years, particularly among certain racial/ethnic groups including African-Americans. This disparity is partially attributable to greater exposure to psychological stress reported in this group (relative to non-Latino whites). Chronic psychological stress leads to weight gain directly through prolonged exposure to biological stress mediators such as cortisol and indirectly through behavioral pathways involving cortisol-induced increases in food consumption. An exciting arena of scientific advancements is focusing on identifying the specific pathways through which chronic stress influences eating behavior with emerging evidence to suggest that food intake, which is commonly increased during periods of stress, may serve as one key mechanism linking stress and obesity, particularly in African-American youth who are disproportionately exposed to chronic stress and have greater access to, and consumption of, energy-dense palatable foods. It is critical to advance understanding of the interplay between stress and food intake in understanding racial/ethnic disparities in pediatric obesity because stress eating represents a modifiable health behavior. That is, increased food intake during periods of elevated stress can be targeted for intervention in ways that may ameliorate the deleterious effects of stress on obesity risk. This project investigated the role of stress eating as a pathway linking chronic stress and obesity in African-American and non-Latino white adolescents.