Original ArticleLow Inhibitory Control and Restrictive Feeding Practices Predict Weight Outcomes
Section snippets
Methods
Participants were 197 white girls and their parents, who were from central Pennsylvania and were part of a longitudinal study of the health and development of young girls. The girls were assessed at ages 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15; 85% of the sample was retained over the 10-year period. Independent sample t tests were used to compare the 161 participants with full BMI data to a group of 36 participants who were missing BMI data to investigate selective attrition. There were no significant
Results
Descriptive statistics for inhibitory control and restriction, as well as background characteristics and covariates, are reported in the Table. On average, girls' inhibitory control levels approximated normative data provided by Rothbart et al.19 The median inhibitory control score was 5.1 (range = 2.0-6.8). Girls' BMI data also were consistent with national data, on average.21 Girls' mean BMI percentiles were around 60 at all ages, with a mean BMI percentile of 59.7 at age 7 and a mean BMI
Discussion
Evidence that individual differences in inhibitory control were precursors of differences in weight outcomes was provided by the finding that inhibitory control predicted average BMI change, as well as the finding that relations between BMI, BMI change, and inhibitory control were maintained after adding age 5 BMI as a covariate. This directionality is consistent with experimental studies on self-regulation. For example, Israel et al reported that 8- to 13-year-old obese children showed reduced
References (33)
Temperamental risk factors for children's unintentional injury: the role of impulsivity and control
Personality Individual Diff
(2004)- et al.
Long-term follow-up of a cognitive behavioral treatment program for obese children
Behav Ther
(2000) Why obese children cannot resist food: the role of impulsivity
Eat Behav
(2006)- et al.
Learning to overeat: maternal use of restrictive feeding practices promotes girls' eating in the absence of hunger
Am J Clin Nutr
(2003) - et al.
Restricting access to foods and children's eating
Appetite
(1999) - et al.
Restricting access to palatable foods affects children's behavioral response, food selection, and intake
Am J Clin Nutr
(1999) - et al.
Confirmatory factor analysis of the Child Feeding Questionnaire: a measure of parental attitudes, beliefs and practices about child feeding and obesity proneness
Appetite
(2001) - et al.
Predictors of maternal child-feeding style: maternal and child characteristics
Appetite
(2001) - et al.
Eating in the absence of hunger and overweight in girls from 5 to 7 y of age
Am J Clin Nutr
(2002) Internal regulation and the evolution of normal growth as the basis for prevention of obesity in children
J Am Dietetic Assoc
(1996)
Feeding dynamics: helping children to eat well
J Pediatr Health Care
Temperament and self-regulation
Inhibitory control as a contributor to conscience in childhood: from toddler to early school age
Child Dev
Prospective memory performance in preschoolers: inhibitory control matters
Eur J Dev Psychol
Inhibitory control deficits in childhood and risk for substance use disorders: a review
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse
Obesity and the environment: where do we go from here?
Science
Cited by (131)
Weight status impacts children's incidental statistical learning
2023, International Journal of PsychophysiologyA synthesis of early antecedents of eating behavior and weight status in girls: The legacy of girls’ NEEDS project
2022, AppetiteCitation Excerpt :Using a developmental psychology lens, findings also illustrate that it is critical to examine child-level individual differences. As an example, girls' inhibitory control consistently emerged as an important individual difference, as inhibitory control moderates the effects of food parenting practices on child weight status (Anzman & Birch, 2009; Rollins et al., 2014). Findings from GNP align with Costanzo and Woody's theory of domain-specific parenting (Costanzo & Woody, 1985).
This study was supported by NIH HD 32973, NIH HD 46567-01 and M01 RR10732. The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest.