Department of Psychological Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA.
Brain Health Research Institute, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Oct 17;19(20):13384. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192013384.
A growing body of research suggests disinhibited eating and weaker executive function (EF) are two risk factors for pediatric obesity. Emerging brain imaging and behavioral findings support the notion that EF skills impact eating regulation. However, a major gap in the current literature is a synthesis of the association between various EF skills and disinhibited eating patterns across child development. To address this gap, a systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to examine the effect of EF skills on disinhibited eating behaviors among youth ages 3-18 years old. PubMed and PsychINFO databases were utilized and data from 15 studies with a total sample of 4909 youth were included. A random effects meta-analysis revealed a small negative effect of overall EF skills on disinhibited eating behavior, = -0.14, < 0.01. Analysis of individual EF skills found working memory had an overall medium negative effect on disinhibited eating behavior, = -0.25, < 0.05. Taken together, findings from this meta-analysis support an inverse relationship between EF abilities and disinhibited eating patterns in children and adolescents, such that poorer EF abilities are associated with higher levels of disinhibited eating. Given the effect on eating behavior, future research is needed to assess whether EF difficulties may be a barrier to effective weight management in youth. Specifically, research is needed to examine whether EF skills may be a key target to consider for effective obesity prevention and treatment in children and adolescents.
越来越多的研究表明，抑制性进食和较弱的执行功能（EF）是儿童肥胖的两个风险因素。新兴的大脑成像和行为研究结果支持这样一种观点，即 EF 技能会影响进食调节。然而，当前文献中的一个主要空白是综合各种 EF 技能与儿童发展过程中抑制性进食模式之间的关联。为了解决这一空白，进行了系统评价和荟萃分析，以检查 EF 技能对 3-18 岁青少年抑制性进食行为的影响。使用了 PubMed 和 PsychINFO 数据库，并纳入了来自 15 项研究的 4909 名青年的总样本数据。随机效应荟萃分析显示，总体 EF 技能对抑制性进食行为有较小的负向影响， = -0.14，<0.01。对个体 EF 技能的分析发现，工作记忆对抑制性进食行为有整体中等负向影响， = -0.25，<0.05。总的来说，这项荟萃分析的结果支持 EF 能力与儿童和青少年抑制性进食模式之间的反比关系，即较差的 EF 能力与较高水平的抑制性进食行为相关。鉴于对饮食行为的影响，需要进一步研究来评估 EF 困难是否可能成为青少年有效体重管理的障碍。具体而言，需要研究 EF 技能是否可能是儿童和青少年有效肥胖预防和治疗的关键目标。
