Executive Function and Dysregulated Eating Behaviors in Pediatric Obesity.

Abstract

To examine the association between caregiver proxy report of executive function (EF) and dysregulated eating behavior in children with obesity. Participants were 195 youth with obesity aged 8-17 years, and their legal guardians. Youth height, weight, demographics, depressive symptoms, eating behaviors, and EF were assessed cross-sectionally during a medical visit. Analyses of covariance, adjusted for child age, gender, race/ethnicity, standardized BMI, depressive symptoms, and family income were used to examine differences in youth EF across caregiver and youth self-report of eating behaviors. Youth EF differed significantly by caregiver report of eating behavior but not youth self-report. Post hoc analyses showed that youth with overeating or binge eating had poorer EF than youth without these eating behaviors. Executive dysfunction, as reported by caregivers, in youth with obesity may be associated with dysregulated eating behaviors predictive of poor long-term psychosocial and weight outcomes. Further consideration of EF-specific targets for assessment and intervention in youth with obesity may be warranted.