Leaner Children Research Articles

Sweet Christmas: Do overweight and obese children associate special events more frequently with food than normal weight children?

This study examined children's spontaneous associations of special events with food. Children in primary education (N = 111, age between 10 and 13 years) at a school in Germany wrote down their first five associations with five special or festive events (Christmas, holidays, weekend, carnival and birthday). After completing the free-word association test, they were offered a choice between a candy and a toy. Finally, their body mass index (BMI) was measured. The first prediction was that overweight and obese children would associate special events more often with food than normal weight and leaner children. The second prediction was that choice for a candy would be predicted by a higher number of food-related associations. The first hypothesis was not supported: BMI was negatively related to number of food-related associations (the lower the BMI, the more food-related associations). The second hypothesis was also not supported: There was no relation between number of food-related associations and choice for a candy or toy. A possible explanation for the finding that leaner children reported more food-related associations is that for them specific sweets and snack food are more exclusively connected to special occasions than for overweight children. Speculatively, this may be the result of differences in food parenting styles between parents of heavier and leaner children. Parents of leaner children often have a more restrictive style, i.e., reserving specific foods for specific, relatively rare occasions whereas parents of overweight children adopt more liberal food rules.

Carboxylation of Osteocalcin Affects Its Association With Metabolic Parameters in Healthy Children

OBJECTIVEOsteocalcin (OC), a bone-derived protein, was recently shown to regulate metabolic pathways in mice. Undercarboxylated OC (ucOC), but not carboxylated OC (cOC), increases adiponectin and insulin secretion. It is unclear if carboxylation of OC affects its association with metabolic parameters in humans.RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSThe associations between ucOC, cOC, total and high-molecular-weight (HMW) adiponectin, and insulin secretion (homeostasis model assessment [HOMA]-β) were investigated in a population-based sample of healthy prepubertal children (n = 103; 49 boys and 54 girls).RESULTSWeight-dependent associations were observed between the different forms of OC and metabolic parameters. Higher cOC was related to lower HMW adiponectin (with a stronger association in leaner children; P < 0.001). Higher ucOC-to-cOC ratio was associated with higher HOMA-β (P < 0.01) in leaner children and associated with higher HMW adiponectin (P < 0.001) in heavier children.CONCLUSIONSIn a weight-dependent manner, cOC and the proportion of ucOC are differentially related to HMW adiponectin and insulin secretion in healthy children.

Variety influences habituation of motivated behavior for food and energy intake in children

Background: Research has shown that variety reduces the rate of habituation, or a general reduction in the rate of responding, for low-energy-density (LED) and high-energy-density (HED) foods.Objective: We assessed whether the effects of variety on habituation of motivation to eat are different in overweight and lean children.Design: Overweight and lean children (n = 84) were randomly assigned to groups that varied as to whether they received their favorite or a variety of LED or HED foods.Results: Habituation was slower for overweight than for nonoverweight children (P = 0.008), for a variety of foods than for the same foods (P < 0.001), and for LED than for HED foods (P < 0.001). Energy intake was greater for overweight than for nonoverweight children provided with variety (P = 0.004) and was greater for overweight or nonoverweight children provided with the same food (P < 0.001). A variety of HED foods increased energy intake more than did the same HED foods (P < 0.001); this increase was greater than energy intake with the same or a variety of LED foods (P < 0.001). Children who sensitized, or showed an increase in responding before habituating, showed slower habituation (P < 0.001) and consumed more energy (P = 0.039) than did children who did not sensitize.Conclusions: Habituation is influenced by variety of foods, and overweight children increase energy intake more with variety than do leaner children. Research is needed to evaluate mechanisms of how variety influences the motivation to eat and energy intake, and how the variety effect can be used to influence intake across multiple eating occasions in children.

Early Childhood Diet, Overweight, and Cardiovascular Risk

Early Childhood Diet, Overweight, and Cardiovascular Risk

Active Transportation to School Over 2 Years in Relation to Weight Status and Physical Activity

To prospectively examine potential benefits of active commuting to school on measures of weight status and physical activity in a sample of youth. A cohort of students from seven elementary schools was measured four times--in the fall and spring of fourth grade (N = 1083) and fifth grade (N = 924). Participants were classified as active (walking, biking, or skateboarding to school almost every day for baseline analyses or at least 2 d/wk for analyses of consistent active commuting) or non-active commuters to school. Accelerometers were used to measure physical activity. Height, weight, and skinfolds were objectively assessed. Boys who actively commuted to school had lower BMI (p < 0.01) and skinfolds (p < 0.05) than non-active commuters to school in the fourth grade. Active commuting to school over 2 years was not associated with BMI change or overweight status. Walking and cycling to school may contribute to preventing excessive weight gain, or leaner children may walk or cycle to school.

Spinal overload: a concern for obese children and adolescents?

Heavy children require stronger bones than leaner children. The present cross-sectional observational study was undertaken to examine the magnitude of compensatory increases in the spinal bone mineral content (BMC) and area shown by overweight and obese children and adolescents. Vertebral area and BMC of lumbar vertebrae L2-L4 were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in 202 boys and 160 girls aged 3-19 years. Subjects were categorized as of normal weight, overweight or obese using international cutoffs for body mass index. Compared with children of healthy weight our overweight and obese children had lower vertebral BMC for their bone area, body height, body weight and pubertal development: ratios and 95% CI for overweight and obese groups were 0.92 (95% CI 0.87-0.97) and 0.88 (95% CI 0.80-0.96) for girls and 0.96 (95% CI 0.91-1.02, NS) and 0.87 (95% CI 0.78-0.96) for boys, respectively. Spinal area was low in overweight and obese girls compared with girls of healthy weight but overweight and obese boys had enlarged their vertebral area appropriately for their increased body size. We conclude that during growth overweight and obese children do not increase their spinal BMC to fully compensate for their excessive weight. Limiting excessive adiposity in childhood and adolescence should help to avoid excessive loading and stresses on the lumbar spine.

Use of tape-recorded food records in assessing children's dietary intake.

Dietary assessment among children is particularly problematic when techniques are dependent on memory skills or advanced cognitive development. The current study explored the use of self-report by tape recorders to document children's dietary intake immediately upon consumption, and compared this method with the traditional, interviewer-guided recall technique. In addition, the influence of body fatness and sociodemographic characteristics on the accuracy of recall and tape-recorded food records was determined. The sample included 30 black and white children aged 6.5 to 11.6 years (x = 9.5). Energy intake (EI), measured by six 24-hour food records (three for each method), was compared with total energy expenditure calculated by the doubly labeled water technique. Paired t tests, correlation analyses, and multiple regression analyses were performed. The analyses revealed poor validity of the tape recorder method (x misreporting score = -1.13+/-2.62 MJ/day, r for total energy expenditure and EI = -0.06, p = 0.74). Estimates of EI differed significantly between the tape recorder and recall methods (p<0.01). The traditional recall method was confirmed as a valid estimate of energy intake (x misreporting score = 0.04+/-2.38 MJ/day), although demonstrating a modest correlation with TEE (r = 0.32, p = 0.08). Although no significant predictors of misreporting using the recall method were identified in the multivariate analyses, older children and children with higher adiposity were more likely to misreport using the tape recorder method. The results suggest that the use of the tape recorder for estimating EI does not result in accurate assessments among children, although this technique may be useful for specific subgroups (i.e., younger and leaner children).