Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
Office of Research and Economic Development, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA.
Pediatr Obes. 2022 Apr;17(4):e12866. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12866. Epub 2021 Nov 2.
Childhood obesity remains a prevalent public health concern. Executive control, a set of higher-order cognitive abilities for directing attention and behaviour, has been identified as a malleable factor potentially related to weight outcomes in youth. However, the directionality of this relationship remains unclear.
This study examined reciprocal associations between three executive control components-inhibitory control, working memory and flexible shifting-and BMI (body mass index) percentile during childhood.
At four points throughout elementary school, a community sample (N = 294) completed executive control tasks and had their height and weight objectively measured. Controlling for sex and socioeconomic risk status, random intercept cross-lagged panel models were tested.
Better inhibitory control performance predicted lower subsequent BMI at each timepoint, and better working memory and flexible shifting performance in grade three both predicted lower subsequent BMI in grade 4. However, BMI did not predict subsequent executive control performance at any timepoint.
Executive control abilities, including automatic response modulation, being able to hold and manipulate mental information, and being able to make flexible mental transitions, may be protective against weight problems, particularly in middle childhood when these abilities have had more time to mature and children begin to gain more independence.
儿童肥胖仍是一个普遍存在的公共卫生问题。执行控制是一组用于引导注意力和行为的高阶认知能力，已被确定为与年轻人体重结果相关的可塑因素。然而，这种关系的方向性仍不清楚。
本研究考察了儿童期三个执行控制成分（抑制控制、工作记忆和灵活转换）与 BMI（身体质量指数）百分位之间的相互关联。
在整个小学阶段的四个时间点，一个社区样本（N=294）完成了执行控制任务，并对其身高和体重进行了客观测量。控制性别和社会经济风险状况后，测试了随机截距交叉滞后面板模型。
更好的抑制控制表现预测了每个时间点的后续 BMI 较低，而三年级更好的工作记忆和灵活转换表现预测了四年级的后续 BMI 较低。然而，BMI 并没有预测任何时间点的后续执行控制表现。
执行控制能力，包括自动反应调节、能够保持和操纵心理信息以及能够进行灵活的心理转换，可能对体重问题具有保护作用，特别是在儿童中期，这些能力有更多的时间成熟，并且儿童开始获得更多的独立性。
