Increased hunger and speed of eating in obese children and adolescents

This quality improvement program examined self-reported hunger, over-eating, and eating speed in obese and normal-weight children and adolescents prior to an interventional component.

Food frequency questionnaires were presented to 127 obese and 42 normal-weight patients, and perceived hunger, food intake and eating speed were rated.

Obese patients reported significantly greater hunger than normal-weight patients (62.2% vs. 21.4%, p<0.001) and faster eating (55.7% vs. 23.3%, p<0.001). Patients reporting being "always" or "often hungry" were more than six times likely to be obese (OR=6.49, 2.86-14.73, p<0.001), while rapid speed of eating yielded a four-fold increase in likelihood of obesity (OR=4.15, 1.77-9.72, p<0.001). Hunger and speed of eating were also highly associated (p<0.001).

Increased hunger and eating speed were highly prevalent in these obese pediatric patients and may reflect abnormalities of satiety and satiation.