Family Anthropometric and Physiological Correlations With Parent- and Teacher-Rated Preschooler Socio-Behavioral Health

Purpose: This study investigated the correlations between family anthropometric and physiological health (i.e., body mass index [BMI], percent body fat, blood pressure [BP], skin carotenoids) and preschoolers' parent- and teacher-rated socio-behavioral outcomes (i.e., externalizing behaviors: self-centered/explosive, attention problems, antisocial/aggressive behaviors; internalizing behaviors: social withdrawal, anxiety/somatic problems; social skills: social cooperation, interaction, and independence). Methods: Baseline data from a cluster randomized clinical trial were analyzed using R 4.0. A total of 168 preschoolers (M_age = 46.98 months) and 154 parents (M_age = 31.3 years) were non-randomly recruited from 16 Head Start centers in the Midwest U.S. Both parents and teachers completed an online survey assessing preschoolers' socio-behavioral health, and blinded trained data collectors measured each dyad's height, weight, percent body fat, skin carotenoids, and parents' BP. Generalized linear mixed-effects models with restricted maximum likelihood estimation were applied, accounting for random cluster effects of childcare centers and classrooms. Findings: Preschoolers' BMI-z was positively associated with teacher-rated social skills (B = 3.66, p = 0.034). Parents' BMI had a positive relationship with preschoolers' self-centered/explosive behaviors (B = 0.61, p = 0.031) and antisocial/aggressive behaviors (B = 0.50, p = 0.045), while their percent body fat and systolic BP were negatively associated with preschoolers' anxiety/somatic problems (B = −0.40, p = 0.034; B = −0.31, p = 0.032). Preschoolers' skin carotenoids were positively correlated with their social independence (B = 0.07, p = 0.025), and parents' skin carotenoids were negatively associated with preschoolers' antisocial/aggressive behaviors (B = −0.07, p = 0.038). Conclusions: The results offer important insights into the complex impact of poor anthropometric and physiological health on socio-behavioral development during early childhood.