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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
04:48
Control of Eating Behavior Using a Novel Feedback System
Published on: May 8, 2018
Growing up poor: long-term implications for eating patterns and body weight.
Christine M Olson1, Caron F Bove, Emily O Miller
1Division of Nutritional Sciences, 376 MVR Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. cmo3@cornell.edu
Appetite
|April 20, 2007
Summary
Childhood poverty and food deprivation increase adult obesity risk. Early food insecurity shapes adult eating habits and emotional responses to food, linking poverty to long-term weight gain.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Public Health
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Childhood poverty is linked to adult obesity.
- Food deprivation during formative years may play a crucial role in this association.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how poverty-related childhood food deprivation influences adult obesity.
- To explore the mechanisms linking low socioeconomic status (SES) in childhood to adult obesity.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 30 low-income, rural women over three years.
- Annual semi-structured interviews collecting quantitative (BMI, food insecurity, eating patterns, SES) and qualitative data.
- Qualitative data analyzed using the constant comparative method.
Main Results:
- Childhood poverty was associated with increased risk of adult overweight and obesity.
- Childhood food deprivation influenced adult food preferences and behaviors, including emotional eating.
- Periods of food scarcity in childhood led to heightened excitement around food availability in adulthood.
Conclusions:
- Poverty-associated food deprivation in childhood is a potential mechanism linking childhood poverty to adult obesity.
- Attitudes and behaviors towards food developed during childhood deprivation can persist into adulthood.
- Understanding these early life experiences is critical for addressing obesity disparities.
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