Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Jan;33(1):21-8.
doi: 10.1038/ijo.2008.219. Epub 2008 Nov 11.

Eating behaviour and weight in children

L Webber  1 , C Hill, J Saxton, C H M Van Jaarsveld, J Wardle
Affiliations

Eating behaviour and weight in children

L Webber et al. Int J Obes (Lond). 2009 Jan.

Abstract

Objective: To test the hypothesis that quantitative variation in eating behaviour traits shows a graded association with weight in children.

Design: Cross-sectional design in a community setting.

Subjects: Data were from 406 families participating in the Physical Exercise and Appetite in CHildren Study (PEACHES) or the Twins Early Development Study (TEDS). Children were aged 7-9 years (PEACHES) and 9-12 years (TEDS).

Measurements: Weights and heights were measured by researchers. Body mass index (BMI) s.d. scores were used to categorize participants into underweight, healthy weight, overweight and obese groups, with an additional division of the healthy weight group into higher and lower healthy weight at the 50th centile. Eating behaviour traits were assessed with the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ), completed by the parents on behalf of their child. Linear trend analyses compared CEBQ subscale scores across the five weight groups.

Results: Satiety Responsiveness/Slowness in Eating and Food Fussiness showed a graded negative association with weight, whereas Food Responsiveness, Enjoyment of Food, Emotional Overeating and Desire to Drink were positively associated. All effects were maintained after controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, parental education and sample. There was no systematic association with weight for Emotional Undereating.

Conclusion: These results support the idea that approach-related and avoidance-related appetitive traits are systematically (and oppositely) related to adiposity, and not exclusively associated with obesity. Early assessment of these traits could be used as indicators of susceptibility to weight gain.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Box 1
Box 1
Figures a-d. Mean ‘food approach’ sub-scale scores by weight group Figure a) Food Responsiveness Figure b) Enjoyment of Food Figure c) Desire to Drink Figure d) Emotional Overeating
Box 2
Box 2
Figures e-f. Mean ‘food avoidant’ sub-scale scores by weight group Figure e) Food Fussiness Figure f) Satiety Responsiveness/Slowness in Eating
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Carnell S, Wardle J. Appetite and adiposity in children: Evidence for a behavioral susceptibility theory of obesity. Amer J Clin Nutr. 2008;88:22–29. - PubMed
    1. Carnell S, Wardle J. Appetitive traits and child obesity: Measurement, origins and implications for intervention. Proc Nutr Soc. 2008 In press. - PubMed
    1. Blundell JE, Stubbs RJ, Golding C, Croden F, Alam R, Whybrow S, et al. Resistance and susceptibility to weight gain: Individual variability in response to a high-fat diet. Physiol Behav. 2005;86:614–622. - PubMed
    1. Fisher JO, Cai GW, Jaramillo SJ, Cole SA, Comuzzie AG, Butte NF. Heritability of hyperphagic eating behavior and appetite-related hormones among Hispanic children. Obesity. 2007;15:1484–1495. - PubMed
    1. Fisher JO, Birch LL. Eating in the absence of hunger and overweight in girls from 5 to 7 y of age. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;76:226–231. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms