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Stress, race, and body weight.

OBJECTIVE
Stress has been identified as a significant factor in health and in racial/ethnic health disparities. A potential mediator in these relationships is body weight.


DESIGN
Cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between stress, race, and body weight were examined in an ethnically diverse sample of overweight and obese women with Type 2 diabetes (n = 217) enrolled in a behavioral weight loss program.


MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Stress (Perceived Stress Scale) was assessed at baseline only and body weight (body mass index) was assessed at baseline and 6 months.


RESULTS
Stress was not related to baseline body weight. With every 1 unit lower scored on the baseline stress measure, women lost 0.10 kg +/- .04 more at 6 months (p < .05). When women were divided into tertiles based on baseline stress scores, those in the lowest stress group had significantly greater weight loss (5.2 kg +/- 4.9) compared with those in the highest stress group (3.0 kg +/- 4.0) (p < .05). There was a trend for African Americans to report higher levels of stress (20.7 +/- 8.8) than Whites (18.3 +/- 8.3) (p = .08).


CONCLUSION
The association between higher stress and diminished weight loss has implications for enhancing weight loss programs for women with Type 2 diabetes.