Differences In Eating Behaviors Research Articles

A Biopsychosocial Model of Sex Differences in Children's Eating Behaviors.

The prevalence of obesity and eating disorders varies by sex, but the extent to which sex influences eating behaviors, especially in childhood, has received less attention. The purpose of this paper is to critically discuss the literature on sex differences in eating behavior in children and present new findings supporting the role of sex in child appetitive traits and neural responses to food cues. In children, the literature shows sex differences in food acceptance, food intake, appetitive traits, eating-related compensation, and eating speed. New analyses demonstrate that sex interacts with child weight status to differentially influence appetitive traits. Further, results from neuroimaging suggest that obesity in female children is positively related to neural reactivity to higher-energy-dense food cues in regions involved with contextual processing and object recognition, while the opposite was found in males. In addition to differences in how the brain processes information about food, other factors that may contribute to sex differences include parental feeding practices, societal emphasis on dieting, and peer influences. Future studies are needed to confirm these findings, as they may have implications for the development of effective intervention programs to improve dietary behaviors and prevent obesity.

Gender differences in dependency, separation, object relations and pathological eating behavior and attitudes

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in eating behaviors and attitudes and the related constructs of dependency, separation, object relations, and eating disorder behavior. One hundred and forty-one undergraduate students were recruited from introductory psychology courses and completed measures of the forementioned constructs. Females had significantly higher scores on the Eating Attitude Test and Eating Self-Efficacy Scale. For males, the Eating Self-Efficacy Scale was also positively correlated with measures of Alienation and Social Incompetence, and the Eating Attitude Test was positively correlated with the Separation Individuation Process Inventory. For females, the Eating Questionnaire Revised was significantly correlated with the Interpersonal Dependency Inventory, the Eating Attitude Test, and Insecure Attachment and Egocentricity scales. There was also a significant positive correlation between the Eating Attitude Test and the Insecure Attachment and Egocentricity scales for females. These findings suggest that certain personality variables differentially are related to pathological eating behaviors and attitudes between gender.

Eating Behaviors and Perceived Eating Problems of children Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactiytty Disorder

Eating disorders (ED) are a comorbid criteria for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learning disabilities (LD). The Children's Eating Behavior Inventory (CEBI) was distributed to parents/guardians of children (N = 115) aged eight to fourteen, attending a private school and clinically diagnosed with ADHD or LD. The CEBI provides an eating behavior (EB) score and a parent-perceived eating problems (PPEP) score. An EB score of 92 and a PPEP score of > 16% were the standards used to identify ADHD and LD students at risk for eating disorders. Results were analyzed by gender, diagnosis, medication and age. Parents of 55 (67%) male and 27 (33%) female students completed the CEBI and the PPEP instruments (72% response rate). Respondent households were predominately Caucasian, dual parent with annual incomes higher than $50,000. Fifty-six (68%) students were diagnosed with ADHD and 73 (89%) with LD. Mean EB and PPEP scores for the present project were 83.88 and 11% for all students (N = 82). When grouped by age, younger students’ (aged 8-12 years, n = 73) mean EB and PPEP scores were 82.09 and 9.68%. EB and PPEP scores for older students (aged 13-14 years, n = 14) were 92.57 and 17.57%. EB and PPEP scores for older versus younger students were significantly different (Student's t = −3.09, p= 0.002). Analysis of variance revealed significantly different EB scores (F = 3.18, p = 0.002) when grouped by the number and types of medications (anti-depressant, anti-hypertensive and/or anti-seizure) given students. PPEP scores were also significantly different (F =2.83, p = 0.005) when grouped by medication. Gender-based differences in EB and PPEP scores were not significant. Parents/guardians of children diagnosed with ADHD and LD may overlook problem eating behaviors in younger ages. Assessing eating behaviors of children with ADHD and/or LD, and parents’ perception of children's eating behaviors, is recommended prior to designing nutrition education interventions.