Abstract
Appetitive traits, the individual response to internal and external eating cues, are related to weight status in children, but their influence on dietary intake has not been examined. The aim of this study was to determine the association between appetitive traits and diet in a treatment‐seeking sample of overweight children (ages 7–11; N=185). The Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire assessed appetitive traits. Dietary intake was determined using three 24‐hr recalls. Food approach scores were positively associated with sweetened beverage, total vegetable, and fried potato intakes (all p<0.05). In contrast, food avoidance scores were negatively associated with energy, carbohydrate, sugar, total vegetable, and non‐starchy vegetable intakes (all p<0.05). Associations differed between boys (n=70) and girls (n=115). In boys, the food approach trait enjoyment of food was associated with lower energy intake, while the food avoidance traits food fussiness and slowness in eating were related to higher energy intake (p<0.05). In girls, the food avoidance traits emotional under‐eating and slowness in eating were related to lower energy intake (p<0.05). These results indicate that appetitive traits do influence diet in overweight children and differ by gender.
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