Self-regulation and behavioral risk factors for obesity in youth facing multiple adversities

To evaluate the extent to which different facets of self-regulation, including emotion regulation and executive functioning, relate to three target health behaviors associated with obesity risk (i.e., eating, physical activity, and sleep) in youth facing multiple adversities.

Participants included youth (10-18 years) and their caregivers. Emotion regulation, executive functioning, and subjective health behaviors were measured via self- and proxy-report. Disinhibited eating was assessed objectively. Caregivers reported on sociodemographic and risk indicators. Regression analyses were used to examine associations between self-regulation and health behaviors.

A total of 174 youth and their caregivers enrolled in the study. Youth experienced overall high levels of socioeconomic, academic, and health hardships, as well as high levels of caregiver-reported executive dysfunction. Self-reported emotion regulation difficulties were consistently associated with greater self-reported reward-based eating and sleep disturbances, with effect sizes varying from small to large. Only one facet of emotion regulation, difficulties with emotional awareness, was inversely associated with self-reported physical activity. Caregiver-reported executive functioning was not related to health behaviors.

The current study highlights the potential role of emotion regulation in obesity prevention efforts and identifies unique associations between specific facets of emotion regulation and health behaviors among youth exposed to adversity. Public health and obesity prevention efforts that target emotion regulation and coping skills may be particularly beneficial in promoting health behaviors in this population. Findings underscore the need for future research to examine how broader, multi-level contextual factors influence self-regulation, shape youth's health behaviors, and contribute to long-term obesity risk.