Chemical and non-chemical stressors affecting childhood obesity: a systematic scoping review

Abstract

Childhood obesity in the United States has doubled over the last three decades and currently affects 17% of children and adolescents. While much research has focused on individual behaviors impacting obesity, little research has emphasized the complex interactions of numerous chemical and non-chemical stressors found in a child's environment and how these interactions affect a child's health and well-being. The objectives of this systematic scoping review were to (1) identify potential chemical stressors in the context of non-chemical stressors that impact childhood obesity; and, (2) summarize our observations for chemical and non-chemical stressors in regards to child-specific environments within a community setting. A review was conducted to identify chemical and non-chemical stressors related to childhood obesity for the childhood life stages ranging from prenatal to adolescence. Stressors were identified and grouped into domains: individual behaviors, family/household behaviors, community stressors, and chemical exposures. Stressors were related to the child and the child's everyday environments and used to characterize child health and well-being. This review suggests that the interactions of chemical and non-chemical stressors are important for understanding a child's overall health and well-being. By considering these relationships, the exposure science research community can better design and implement strategies to reduce childhood obesity.

Neighbourhood greenspace influences on childhood obesity in Sheffield, UK

“…The association is almost significant at Y6; the slightly weaker relationship at this age may arise from the greater mobility of older children leading to more opportunities for respite from high pollution levels. Our finding supports the body of evidence showing relationships between exposure to high levels of air pollution (PM 10 and other pollutants) in utero and in early life and higher BMI throughout childhood . Possible mechanisms for this effect are limitation of ability to be physically active for example, due to asthma; direct physiological effects (e.g., endocrine disruption or mitochondria dysfunction) of pollutants, and the physiological and psychological consequences of inflammation caused by exposure …”

A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Investigating the Relationship between Exposures to Chemical and Non-Chemical Stressors during Prenatal Development and Childhood Externalizing Behaviors

“…The desire to examine the synergistic effects of chemical and non-chemical stressors with inherent characteristics to gain a more comprehensive understanding of children's health outcomes is gaining momentum in the literature [44,118,147]. However, there is still a paucity of studies that examine these factors collectively.…”

Development of a Conceptual Framework Depicting a Childs Total (Built, Natural, Social) Environment in Order to Optimize Health and Well-Being

“…Chemical stressors are defined as exogenous environmental compounds. Chemical stressors change or damage living organisms or ecosystems and are released into the environment by waste, emissions, pesticide use or uses of formulated compounds like pharmaceuticals [21,40,41] . Children are exposed to chemical stressors from the foods they eat, water they drink, air they breathe, and surfaces they touch (e.g., chemical residues on surfaces or in dust and soil) and their lifestage-specific diets and activities and behaviors influence the nature and extent of their exposures.…”

“…However, we are learning that a child's microbiome, established during the first few years of life and an www.ommegaonline.org Children's conceptual framework 4 mined, in part, by a child's proximity to hazardous waste sites, power plants, and other sources of pollution, and this, in turn, is influenced by social considerations such as family income and standard of living. Social factors in a child's community, such as community traditions and beliefs and access to health care, to name a few, can modulate the impact of the environment on a child [20,40,43,[45][46][47] . Additionally, evidence suggests that non-chemical stressors can act as modifiers of a child's biological response to chemical exposures, altering his/her susceptibility to chemical agents and the severity of resultant health effects [46,48] .…”

“…This systematic scoping review collated evidence associated with children's cognitive health, including inherent factors as well as chemical and non-chemical stressors from the built, natural, and social environment. In a similar fashion, Lichtveld, K., et al, 2016 [40] conducted a systematic scoping review of the stressors associated with childhood obesity. Both reviews show the importance of using a conceptual framework to identify and organize the myriad chemical and non-chemical stressors that a child may be exposed to and how these exposures affect health and well-being, as well as the importance of prioritizing stressors for future research.…”