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Longitudinal associations between executive control and body mass index across childhood

Cara C Tomaso1, Tiffany James2, Jennifer M Nelson1,2

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.

Pediatric Obesity
|November 2, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Stronger executive control skills, like inhibitory control and working memory, may protect children from developing obesity. These cognitive abilities appear to influence body mass index (BMI) rather than the reverse.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a significant public health issue.
  • Executive control, crucial for cognitive abilities, is a potential factor influencing youth weight.
  • The bidirectional relationship between executive control and childhood BMI is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the reciprocal associations between key executive control components and body mass index (BMI) percentile in children.
  • To determine if executive functions predict subsequent BMI or if BMI influences executive functions over time.

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study followed 294 children throughout elementary school.
  • Participants completed executive control tasks (inhibitory control, working memory, flexible shifting) at four time points.
  • Objective height and weight measurements were taken, and data were analyzed using random intercept cross-lagged panel models, controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

  • Improved inhibitory control predicted lower subsequent BMI at all measurement points.
  • Enhanced working memory and flexible shifting in third grade predicted lower BMI in fourth grade.
  • Childhood BMI did not predict any changes in executive control performance.

Conclusions:

  • Executive control abilities, such as response inhibition and mental flexibility, may serve as protective factors against childhood weight gain.
  • These cognitive skills may be particularly important during middle childhood as children gain independence.
  • Interventions targeting executive functions could potentially aid in preventing or managing childhood obesity.
Abstract

Keywords:
childrenexecutive controlinhibitory controllongitudinalobesityweight

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