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
. 2021 May;54(5):893-897.
doi: 10.1002/eat.23484. Epub 2021 Feb 16.

Pain, eating behavior, and weight outcomes in adolescent girls

Andrea B Goldschmidt  1 , Kathryn E Smith  2 , Dale S Bond  1 , Alison E Hipwell  3   4 , Stephanie D Stepp  3   4 , Kate Keenan  5
Affiliations

Pain, eating behavior, and weight outcomes in adolescent girls

Andrea B Goldschmidt et al. Int J Eat Disord. 2021 May.

Abstract

Objective: In adults, pain is prospectively associated with overweight/obesity and concurrently associated with dysregulated eating, with evidence for stronger associations in women than men. This study aimed to evaluate whether similar associations among pain response, BMI, and loss of control (LOC) eating are also evident in adolescent girls.

Method: Girls (n = 202) completed the cold pressor test (CPT) at age 10, and BMI and LOC eating were assessed annually from ages 10-16 years. Generalized linear models were used to test associations between pain tolerance (total immersion time) and threshold (latency to highest pain rating), and changes in BMI and LOC eating.

Results: Lower pain tolerance and threshold at age 10 were associated with increases in LOC eating from age 10 to 16 (tolerance: B < -.01, SE < .01, p = .005; threshold: B = -.03, SE = .01, p = .0118). No significant associations were observed between pain tolerance/threshold and increasing BMI.

Discussion: Pain responsivity in childhood is associated with increases in dysregulated eating from childhood to adolescence. These findings provide support for the early development of an interface between pain and eating behaviors.

Keywords: Pittsburgh girls study; binge eating; loss of control eating; obesity; overweight; pain.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: Dr. Goldschmidt has consulted with Sunovion Pharmaceuticals. None of the other authors have conflicts to declare.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Audureau E, Pouchot J, & Coste J (2016). Gender-Related Differential Effects of Obesity on Health-Related Quality of Life via Obesity-Related Comorbidities. 9(3), 246–256. doi:doi:10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.115.002127 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Chin SH, Huang WL, Akter S, & Binks M (2019). Obesity and pain: a systematic review. International journal of obesity (2005) doi:10.1038/s41366-019-0505-y - DOI - PubMed
    1. Choi KW, Somers TJ, Babyak MA, Sikkema KJ, Blumenthal JA, & Keefe FJ (2014). The relationship between pain and eating among overweight and obese individuals with osteoarthritis: an ecological momentary study. Pain research & management, 19(6), e159–163. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cunningham SA, Kramer MR, & Venkat Narayan KM (2014). Incidence of Childhood Obesity in the United States. The New England journal of medicine, 370(5), 403–411. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1309753 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Garner DM, Olmsted MP, Bohr Y, & Garfinkel PE (1982). The eating attitudes test: Psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychol Med, 12(4), 871–878. doi:10.1017/S0033291700049163 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types