Impact of stressful life events on central adiposity in the Pelotas Birth Cohort

Authors

  • Pamela J Surkan Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Department of International Health. Social and Behavioral Interventions Program
  • Kwame S Sakyi Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Department of International Health. Social and Behavioral Interventions Program Oakland University. School of Health Sciences. Department of Public and Environmental Wellness
  • Alice Hu Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Department of International Health. Social and Behavioral Interventions Program
  • Maria T Olinto Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva Federal University of Health Science of Porto Alegre. Department of Nutrition
  • Helen Gonçalves Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia
  • Bernardo L Horta Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia
  • Denise P Gigante Universidade Federal de Pelotas. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Epidemiologia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11606/S1518-8787.2018052000161

Keywords:

The experience of more than one stressful life event was associated with distinct indicators of central adiposity for men versus women.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how stressful life events and social support relate to central adiposity in Southern Brazil. METHODS: Data included information from 802 participants in the 1982 Pelotas Birth Cohort that was collect in 2004–2005 and 2006. Stratifying by sex, we studied self-reported stressful life events during the year before 2004–2005 in relation to change in waist circumference between 2004–2005 and 2006 and waist-to-hip ratio in 2006, using both bivariate and multivariate linear regression models. RESULTS: In adjusted models, the experience of stressful life events during the year before 2004–2005 predicted a change in waist circumference in 2006 in men and a change in both waist-to-hip ratio in 2006 and waist circumference between 2004–2005 and 2006 in women. Men who experienced two or more stressful events had on average a one centimeter increase in their waist circumference between 2004–2005 and 2006 (β = 0.97, 95%CI 0.02–1.92), compared to those reporting no stressful events. For women, those who had one and those who had two or more stressful life events had over a 1 cm increase in their waist circumference from 2004–2005 to 2006 (β = 1.37, 95%CI 0.17–2.54; β = 1.26, 95%CI 0.11–2.40, respectively), compared to those who did not experience any stressful event. For both sexes, social support level was not significantly related to either waist-to-hip ratio or change in waist circumference, and it did not modify the association between stress and central adiposity

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Published

2018-05-08

Issue

Section

Original Articles

How to Cite

Impact of stressful life events on central adiposity in the Pelotas Birth Cohort. (2018). Revista De Saúde Pública, 52, 61. https://doi.org/10.11606/S1518-8787.2018052000161