Relationships of Maternal Employment and Work Impact with Weight-Related Behaviors and Home Environments of Mothers and Their School-Age Children

Abstract

The prevalence of obesity continues to rise. Preventing obesity, especially childhood obesity, is critically important. Parents, especially mothers, play a vital role in preventing childhood obesity. Numerous factors, such as maternal employment, may influence maternal weight-related practices and home environment characteristics that affect the risk of childhood obesity. Given the prevalence of both childhood obesity and maternal employment, this study was conducted to examine how weight-related maternal, child, and household behaviors as well as home environment characteristics differ by maternal employment hours and extends existing research by examining work impact on behaviors and home characteristics. U.S. mothers (n = 527) with at least one school-age child (6 to 11 years), who were between the ages of 25 and 54 years and the main food gatekeeper in the household completed an online survey. ANOVA comparisons of non-working, part-time employed, and full-time employed mothers revealed few differences in any of the variables studied. Cluster analysis of the 336 employed mothers based on six work impact scale scores found three unique clusters characterized as Enthusiastic Earners, Indifferent Earners, and Strained Earners. Few differences in sociodemographic and job characteristics occurred among clusters and the differences noted had small effect sizes. Clusters did not differ by maternal BMI or perceived child weight status. However, the clusters differed in numerous weight-related behaviors and home environment characteristics. Future research should aim to determine the direction of the associations of work impact with weight-related behaviors and home environments as well as identify potential strategies for overcoming the negative effects of employment on weight-related behaviors and environments and weight status as well as clarify other factors that may affect maternal work impact, such as time management, reasons for employment, and stress.