Abstract
Childhood obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges in Western countries. Abnormal eating behavior is thought to be a developmental trajectory to obesity. The Eating Pattern Inventory for Children (EPI-C) has not been used for children as young as eight years, and possible associations with body weight have not yet been established. Five hundred and twenty-one children of the Ulm Birth Cohort Study (UBCS; age eight) filled out the EPI-C and BMI was assessed. Adequacy of the scales was tested with confirmatory factor analysis and a MANOVA and cluster analysis established associations between eating patterns and BMI. The factor structure of the EPI-C was confirmed (GFI = .968) and abnormal eating behavior was associated with overweight (χ2(8) = 79.29, p<.001). The EPI-C is a valid assessment tool in this young age group. Overweight children consciously restrain their eating.
Highlights
Childhood obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges in Western countries [1,2]
To establish under/normal weight, overweight and obesity, the standardized body mass index (BMI) was used where age is included in the formula along with height and weight [29,30]
Confirmatory factor analysis We performed a confirmatory factor analysis to examine whether the factor structure of the Eating Pattern Inventory for Children (EPI-C) is the same in secondgrade and fourth-grade children
Summary
Childhood obesity is one of the greatest public health challenges in Western countries [1,2]. Restrained eating may be related to cognitive self-control. When this fails, restrained eaters have a higher risk of overeating. Several studies have shown positive associations between restrained eating and overweight for adolescents (overviews in: [19,20,21,22]). Results are mixed regarding the relationship between emotional eating and weight in adolescents, with some studies finding no association, and others finding positive or negative associations [21,22]. Experiments suggest a positive association between food cues and intake [23], whereas studies analyzing child and adolescent eating patterns and weight status have failed to demonstrate a connection [21,22]
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