Children and adults alike who are obese or overweight are more likely to feel stress, and overweight children are
more likely to report that their parents were often or always stressed over the past month. Children, regardless of
weight or age, say they can tell that their parents are stressed when they argue and complain, which many children
say makes them feel sad and worried. Parents, however, are not fully realizing the impact their own stress is having
on their children.
In general, Americans recognize that their stress levels remain high and exceed what they consider to be healthy.
Adults seem to understand the importance of healthy behaviors like managing their stress levels, eating right, getting
enough sleep and exercise, but they report experiencing challenges practicing these healthy behaviors. They report
being too busy as a primary barrier preventing them from better managing their stress, and a lack of motivation,
energy and time as the chief reasons for not being more physically active. In 2009 and again this year, lacking
willpower was cited as a barrier to adopting healthy behaviors when lifestyle changes were recommended by a health
care provider. Yet the majority believes willpower can be learned as well as improved, if they only had more energy
and confidence.
The survey found that although reported average stress levels have remained much the same as they were last year,
fewer adults report being satisfied with the ways that their employer helps employees balance work and non-work
demands and, in general, concern about job stability is on the rise.
Survey findings have consistently shown that the majority of Americans are living with moderate (4 – 7 on a scale of
1 to 10, where 1 means you have little or no stress and 10 means you have a great deal of stress) or high (8 – 10 on a
scale of 1 to 10) levels of stress, and while they understand that this is not healthy, they’re stymied in their efforts to
make changes.