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Developmental trends in eating rates of normal and overweight preschool children
Insights
Overweight preschool children eat faster, taking fewer chews per bite. This eating behavior is observable even in young children beginning to self-feed, suggesting early links to weight status.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Behavioral Pediatrics
- Childhood Obesity
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a growing public health concern.
- Understanding early eating behaviors may offer insights into weight development.
- Mealtime behaviors can be influenced by various factors including age, sex, and weight status.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate differences in eating rates and mealtime behaviors between normal weight and overweight preschool children.
- To examine the influence of age and sex on eating behaviors in preschool children.
Main Methods:
- Observational study of 60 white preschool children (30 normal weight, 30 overweight).
- Data collected on eating rates (bites per interval) and meal behaviors (chews, sips, talks, chews per bite).
- Children categorized by weight status, age (1.5-6 years), and sex.
Main Results:
- Overweight children exhibited a higher eating rate with significantly fewer chews per bite compared to normal weight children.
- Chew rates increased with age in boys.
- Talk rates increased with age, independent of sex or weight status.
- Sip rates showed no significant association with age, sex, or weight status.
Conclusions:
- Findings support the hypothesis that overweight individuals have an increased eating rate.
- Accelerated eating behavior, characterized by fewer chews per bite, is evident in overweight preschool children.
- These eating patterns are observable early in life, around the period of initial self-feeding, suggesting potential early indicators for weight status.
Abstract:
Eating rates (bites per interval) and other meal behaviors (number of chews, sips, talks with a neighbor, and chews per bite) were observed for 30 normal and 30 overweight white preschool children in their school cafeterias. Children were classified according to weight (overweight or normal), age (1 1/2--2 years, 3--4 years, or 5--6 years) and sex. Analysis of variance revealed that overweight preschool children demonstrated a somewhat higher rate of distinctly fewer chews per bite. Boys showed increasing chew rates with increasing age. Talk rates also increased with age but were unrelated to sex or weight status. Sip rates were not significantly associated with age, sex, or weight status. These results support the hypothesis that overweight persons are characterized by an increased eating rate and show that it is apparent even around the time of first self-feeding.