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Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Overeating styles and adiposity among multiethnic youth
Tracey Ledoux1, Kathy Watson, Janice Baranowski
1USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, 1100 Bates Street, Houston, TX 77030, USA. TALedoux@uh.edu
Appetite
|December 1, 2010
Summary
Overeating styles like restrained and external eating are linked to youth adiposity. However, the association between emotional eating and adiposity differs significantly by ethnicity, particularly in African American youth.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric obesity research
- Behavioral nutrition science
- Cross-cultural health studies
Background:
- Inconsistent findings link youth overeating styles to adiposity.
- Potential confounders include age, gender, ethnicity, social desirability, and measurement methods.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between overeating styles and adiposity in diverse youth.
- To control for social desirability and examine moderation by ethnicity, age, and gender.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study of 304 children and 264 adolescents (ages 9-18).
- Participants represented African American, Hispanic, and White ethnic groups.
- Utilized the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale 'Lie Scale', and measured adiposity indicators (BMI z-score, waist circumference, skinfold).
Main Results:
- Restrained eating positively correlated with adiposity; external eating showed a negative association.
- Emotional eating had a stronger inverse relationship with adiposity in African American youth compared to White or Hispanic youth.
- Results were independent of social desirability, age, and gender.
Conclusions:
- Overeating styles are generally associated with youth adiposity.
- Ethnicity significantly moderates the association between emotional eating and adiposity.
- Understanding these ethnic differences is crucial for targeted interventions in pediatric obesity prevention.
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