Emotions and obesity among Mexican-American children

The purpose of this study was to determine what relationships, if any, existed between high levels of body fat and emotional motivations for eating among Mexican-American children. Subjects (N = 177) were drawn from children aged 10-14 years who participated in the National Youth Sports Program in the Lower Rio Grande Valley region of Texas. Data were gathered through a self-report instrument dealing with emotional motivators involved in eating and through individual anthropometric measurements. Data analysis revealed that for the boys, a significant relationship existed between high percent body fat and the emotional motivation of stimulation. Handling and craving motivators were significantly related to high body fat for girls.