Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Williamson Translational Research Building 7th Floor, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH, 03756, USA.
Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Williamson Translational Research Building 7th Floor, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH, 03756, USA; Department of Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH, 03756, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, Lebanon, NH, 03756, USA.
Appetite. 2023 Sep 1;188:106637. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2023.106637. Epub 2023 Jun 22.
Decreased behavioral regulation is hypothesized to be a risk factor for excess weight gain among children, possibly via reduced appetite-specific regulation. Little research has specifically focused on behavioral regulation and food cue responsiveness, a conditioned precursor to eating, at a young age. This study examined the association between behavioral regulation and external food cue responsiveness among preschool-age children and explored if a more structured parenting style moderated that association. Baseline data from a prospective study on media use among preschool-age children (n = 83) in Northern New England were used. Parents reported on three domains of children's behavioral regulation (attentional focusing, inhibitory control, and emotional self-regulation), the children's external food cue responsiveness (EFCR), and their parenting styles (authoritative and permissive) via validated questionnaires. Mean age among children was 4.31 (SD 0.91) years, 57% of children were male, 89% were non-Hispanic white, and 26.2% had overweight or obesity. In a series of adjusted linear regression models, lower attentional focusing (standardized β, βs = -0.35, p = 0.001), inhibitory control (βs = -0.30, p = 0.008), and emotional self-regulation (standardized beta, βs = -0.38, p < 0.001) were each significantly associated with greater EFCR. In exploratory analyses, a more structured parenting style (more authoritative or less permissive) mitigated the associations between inhibitory control and EFCR (Bonferroni-adjusted p-interaction < 0.017). Findings support that lower attentional focusing, inhibitory control, and emotional self-regulation relate to greater ECFR in preschool-age children. The association between inhibitory control and EFCR may be modified by parenting style. Further research is needed to understand if children's responsiveness to external food cues may account for reported associations between lower behavioral regulation and adiposity gain over time.
行为调节能力下降被认为是儿童体重增加的风险因素，可能是通过降低食欲特异性调节来实现的。很少有研究专门关注行为调节和食物线索反应性，这是进食的条件前体，在幼儿期尤其如此。本研究调查了学龄前儿童行为调节与外部食物线索反应性之间的关系，并探讨了更具结构性的养育方式是否调节了这种关系。本研究使用了新英格兰北部学龄前儿童媒体使用前瞻性研究的基线数据（n=83）。父母通过经过验证的问卷报告了儿童行为调节的三个领域（注意力集中、抑制控制和情绪自我调节）、儿童的外部食物线索反应性（EFCR）和他们的养育方式（权威型和放任型）。儿童的平均年龄为 4.31 岁（标准差 0.91），57%为男性，89%为非西班牙裔白人，26.2%超重或肥胖。在一系列调整后的线性回归模型中，较低的注意力集中（标准化β，βs=-0.35，p=0.001）、抑制控制（βs=-0.30，p=0.008）和情绪自我调节（标准化β，βs=-0.38，p<0.001）与更大的 EFCR 显著相关。在探索性分析中，更具结构性的养育方式（更权威或更放任）减轻了抑制控制和 EFCR 之间的关联（Bonferroni 调整后的 p 交互作用<0.017）。研究结果支持，在学龄前儿童中，较低的注意力集中、抑制控制和情绪自我调节与更大的 ECFR 相关。抑制控制和 EFCR 之间的关联可能受到养育方式的影响。需要进一步研究以了解儿童对外界食物线索的反应是否可以解释报告的随着时间的推移，行为调节能力下降与肥胖增加之间的关联。
