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Toddler self-regulation skills predict risk for pediatric obesity

P A Graziano1, S D Calkins, S P Keane

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0165, USA. pagrazia@ufl.edu

International Journal of Obesity (2005)
|January 13, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Early self-regulation skills, like emotion regulation and inhibitory control, predict pediatric obesity. Toddlers with poor emotion regulation and inhibitory control are at higher risk for being overweight by age 5.5.

Area of Science:

  • Child Development
  • Pediatric Health
  • Behavioral Science

Background:

  • Pediatric obesity is a growing public health concern.
  • Early childhood is a critical period for the development of self-regulation skills.
  • Understanding predictors of pediatric obesity is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the predictive role of early self-regulation skills in childhood obesity.
  • To investigate specific self-regulation domains: emotion regulation, sustained attention, and inhibitory control/reward sensitivity.
  • To assess these skills' impact on body mass index (BMI) development and obesity risk.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 57 children from three cohorts.
  • Assessment of self-regulation skills at 2 years of age using laboratory tasks.
  • Measurement of height and weight at 2 and 5.5 years of age to calculate BMI.

Main Results:

  • Toddler self-regulation skills predicted BMI development and pediatric obesity.
  • Emotion regulation was key for normative BMI changes; sustained attention and inhibitory control/reward sensitivity were not.
  • Emotion regulation and inhibitory control/reward sensitivity predicted extreme weight problems (obesity) at 5.5 years, independent of 2-year BMI.

Conclusions:

  • Difficulties in early self-regulation (behavioral and emotional) are significant risk factors for pediatric obesity.
  • These findings highlight the importance of targeting self-regulation for obesity prevention.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate the mechanisms linking self-regulation to obesity.
Abstract

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