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Published on: May 10, 2022
The association of early childhood cognitive development and behavioural difficulties with pre-adolescent problematic
Rebecca C Richmond1, Oleg Skugarevsky2, Seungmi Yang3
1School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom; MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit (IEU), University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Insights
Children with lower intelligence quotient (IQ) and behavioral problems at age 6.5 years had higher risks of problematic eating attitudes in adolescence. Better non-verbal academic performance was linked to fewer eating concerns.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Psychology
- Eating Disorder Research
Background:
- Prospective studies on early childhood cognitive and behavioral factors influencing later eating attitudes are limited.
- Understanding these early predictors can inform preventative strategies for eating disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between intelligence quotient (IQ), academic performance, and behavioral difficulties at 6.5 years with eating attitudes at 11.5 years.
- Investigate potential sex differences in these associations.
Main Methods:
- Observational cohort study nested within the Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial, Belarus.
- Data collected on IQ, academic performance, and behavioral difficulties at 6.5 years.
- Children's Eating Attitude Test (ChEAT) administered at 11.5 years to assess problematic eating attitudes (ChEAT score ≥ 85th percentile).
Main Results:
- Higher IQ in boys at 6.5 years was associated with fewer problematic eating attitudes at 11.5 years (OR=0.87), but not in girls.
- Stronger non-verbal academic performance (math, other non-verbal subjects) at 6.5 years was inversely associated with problematic eating attitudes in both sexes.
- Behavioral difficulties at 6.5 years were positively associated with problematic eating attitudes five years later (OR=1.13).
Conclusions:
- Early school-age factors including lower IQ, poorer non-verbal academic skills, and behavioral problems are linked to an increased risk of problematic eating attitudes in early adolescence.
- Findings highlight the importance of early cognitive and behavioral assessments in identifying children at risk for developing disordered eating patterns.
Objectives:
Few studies have prospectively investigated associations of child cognitive ability and behavioural difficulties with later eating attitudes. We investigated associations of intelligence quotient (IQ), academic performance and behavioural difficulties at 6.5 years with eating attitudes five years later.
Methods:
We conducted an observational cohort study nested within the Promotion of Breastfeeding Intervention Trial, Belarus. Of 17,046 infants enrolled at birth, 13,751 (80.7%) completed the Children's Eating Attitude Test (ChEAT) at 11.5 years, most with information on IQ (n = 12,667), academic performance (n = 9,954) and behavioural difficulties (n = 11,098) at 6.5 years. The main outcome was a ChEAT score ≥ 85th percentile, indicative of problematic eating attitudes.
Results:
Boys with higher IQ at 6.5 years reported fewer problematic eating attitudes, as assessed by ChEAT scores ≥ 85th percentile, at 11.5 years (OR per SD increase in full-scale IQ = 0.87; 0.79, 0.94). No such association was observed in girls (1.01; 0.93, 1.10) (p for sex-interaction = 0.016). In both boys and girls, teacher-assessed academic performance in non-verbal subjects was inversely associated with high ChEAT scores five years later (OR per unit increase in mathematics ability = 0.88; 0.82, 0.94; and OR per unit increase in ability for other non-verbal subjects = 0.86; 0.79, 0.94). Behavioural difficulties were positively associated with high ChEAT scores five years later (OR per SD increase in teacher-assessed rating = 1.13; 1.07, 1.19).
Conclusion:
Lower IQ, worse non-verbal academic performance and behavioural problems at early school age are positively associated with risk of problematic eating attitudes in early adolescence.
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