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Predicting weight outcomes in preadolescence: the role of toddlers’ self-regulation skills and the temperament dimension of pleasure

International Journal of Obesity volume 37, pages 937–942 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Objectives:

To investigate the role of toddlers’ self-regulation skills and temperament in predicting weight outcomes in preadolescence.

Methods:

Participants for this study included 195 children (114 girls) obtained from three different cohorts participating in a larger ongoing longitudinal study. At 2 years of age, participants participated in several laboratory tasks designed to assess their self-regulation abilities, including emotion regulation, sustained attention and delay of gratification, whereas parents filled out a temperament questionnaire to assess toddlers’ pleasure expression. Height and weight measures were collected when children were 4, 5, 7 and 10 years of age. Children also filled out a body image and eating questionnaire at the 10-year visit.

Results:

Self-regulation skills in toddlers were associated with body mass index (BMI) development and pediatric obesity as well as body image/eating concerns. The temperament dimension of pleasure was also associated with BMI development and pediatric obesity but not body image/eating concerns.

Conclusions:

Self-regulation difficulties across domains as well as temperament-based pleasure in toddlers represented significant individual risk factors for the development of pediatric obesity 8 years later. Early self-regulation difficulties also contributed to body image and eating concerns that typically accompanied overweight children. The mechanisms by which early self-regulation skills and temperament-based pleasure may contribute to the development of pediatric obesity and associated weight concerns are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by National Institute of Mental Health awards (MH 55625 and MH 55584) to the third author and an NIMH award (MH 58144) to the third and fourth authors. We thank Kathryn Degnan, Louise Berdan, David Topor, Rachael Reavis and Caitlin Stone for their help in subject recruitment, data collection and coding, as well as Cheryl Lovelady for her review of the manuscript. We also thank the families who generously gave their time to participate in the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Children and Families and Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA

    P A Graziano

  2. Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    R Kelleher & S P Keane

  3. Department of Human Development and Family Studies and Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    S D Calkins & M O Brien

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  1. P A Graziano
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Correspondence to P A Graziano.

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Graziano, P., Kelleher, R., Calkins, S. et al. Predicting weight outcomes in preadolescence: the role of toddlers’ self-regulation skills and the temperament dimension of pleasure. Int J Obes 37, 937–942 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2012.165

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