Center for Obesity Research and Education, College of Public Health, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2022 Jul 23;19(1):91. doi: 10.1186/s12966-022-01323-y.
Individual differences in eating behaviors among young children are well-established, but the extent to which behaviors aggregate within individuals to form distinct eating behavior profiles remains unknown. Our objectives were to identify eating behavior profiles among preschool-aged children and evaluate associations with temperament and weight.
A secondary, cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from 2 cohort studies was conducted involving 1004 children aged 3-4 years and their parents with low-income backgrounds. Children's eating behaviors and temperament were assessed by parental report. Body mass index z-scores and weight status were calculated using measured heights and weights. Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to generate profiles and bivariate analyses were used to evaluate associations with temperament and weight status.
LPA revealed the presence of 3 eating behavior profiles among children. Children with High Food Approach profiles (21.2%) had lower temperamental inhibitory control and the highest percent of children with obesity relative to the other profiles. Children with High Food Avoidant profiles (35.6%) had lower temperamental impulsivity and lower BMI z-scores relative to the other profiles, whereas children with Moderate Eating profiles (intermediary levels of all behaviors; 43.2%) had higher temperamental inhibitory control and lower anger/frustration, than other profiles.
Young children's eating behaviors appear to aggregate within individuals to form empirically distinct profiles reflecting food approach, food avoidance, and moderate approaches to eating that are differentiated by aspects of temperament and weight. Future work should seek to understand the extent to which health promotion and obesity prevention approaches should be tailored to take into account children's fundamental dispositions towards eating.
幼儿的饮食行为存在个体差异，这已得到充分证实，但个体内部的行为是否会聚集形成不同的饮食行为模式仍不清楚。我们的目的是确定学龄前儿童的饮食行为模式，并评估其与气质和体重的关系。
对两项队列研究的基线数据进行二次横断面分析，共纳入 1004 名 3-4 岁低龄儿童及其有低收入背景的父母。通过父母报告评估儿童的饮食行为和气质。使用测量的身高和体重计算体重指数 z 分数和体重状况。采用潜在剖面分析（LPA）生成模式，并采用双变量分析评估与气质和体重状况的关系。
LPA 显示儿童中存在 3 种饮食行为模式。高食物趋近模式（21.2%）的儿童气质抑制控制能力较低，肥胖儿童比例相对其他模式较高。高食物回避模式（35.6%）的儿童气质冲动性较低，BMI z 分数相对其他模式较低，而中等饮食模式（所有行为的中等水平；43.2%）的儿童气质抑制控制能力较高，愤怒/挫折感较低，与其他模式相比。
幼儿的饮食行为似乎在个体内部聚集，形成实证上不同的模式，反映了食物趋近、食物回避和适度的进食方式，这些模式通过气质和体重的不同方面来区分。未来的研究应该致力于了解健康促进和肥胖预防方法应该在多大程度上进行调整，以考虑到儿童对进食的基本倾向。
