A new study suggests that moms who are surrounded by chaos and face financial instability are more likely to be obese.

So if your home is stress-and-pressure-packed, you're more likely to pack on pounds. The same study, however, suggests that chaotic households and instability do NOT affect the weight of the children living in these homes. That's according to lead author Earle Chambers, Ph.D. The study of urban mothers appears in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.

"My interest is to look at the intersection between the home environment and the neighborhood environment and see how those intersections influence obesity," Chambers said. Access to healthy places to eat and exercise space can make a difference, he added.

The results did not surprise Adam Drewnowski, director of the University of Washington Center for Obesity Research in Seattle. "There will be wide variability by area, but based on our analyses of data from California and from New York, every additional 10 percent in poverty rates translates into another 6 percent rise in obesity rates," he said. “So if these were lower-income mothers, this is exactly what you would expect."

Journal reference:

1. Chambers EC, Duarte CS, Yang FM. Household instability, area poverty and obesity in urban mothers and their children. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 20(1), 2009