Children differ greatly in their ability to self-regulate food intake for reasons that are poorly... more Children differ greatly in their ability to self-regulate food intake for reasons that are poorly understood. This laboratory-based twin study tested the genetic and environmental contributions to self-regulatory eating and body fat in early childhood. A total of 69 4-7 year-old same-sex twin pairs, including 40 monozygotic and 29 dizygotic pairs, were studied. Self-regulatory eating was operationalized as the percentage compensation index (COMPX%), assessed by a 'preload' challenge in which lunch intake was measured following a low- (3 kcal) or high-calorie (159 kcal) drink. Body fat indexes also were measured. The familial association for COMPX% was estimated by an intraclass correlation, and biometric analyses estimated heritability. Children ate more at lunch following the low- compared with high-energy preload (P<0.001), although variability in COMPX% was considerable. Compensation was significantly poorer among African American and Hispanic compared with European Am...
This study evaluated the influence of child and family functioning on child sleep behaviors in lo... more This study evaluated the influence of child and family functioning on child sleep behaviors in low-income minority families who are at risk for obesity. A cross-sectional study was utilized to measure child and family functioning from 2013 to 2014. Participants were recruited from Head Start classrooms while data were collected during home visits. A convenience sample of 72 low-income Hispanic (65%) and African American (32%) families of preschool-aged children were recruited for this study. We assessed the association of child and family functioning with child sleep behaviors using a multivariate multiple linear regression model. Bootstrap mediation analyses examined the effects of family chaos between child functioning and child sleep problems. Poorer child emotional and behavioral functioning related to total sleep behavior problems. Chaos associated with bedtime resistance significantly mediated the relationship between Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) and Bedtim...
ABSTRACT The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays a critical role by providing food to... more ABSTRACT The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays a critical role by providing food to children from low-income families while they are enrolled in licensed childcare or attending approved after-school programs. There is little documentation about ...
Children differ greatly in their ability to self-regulate food intake for reasons that are poorly... more Children differ greatly in their ability to self-regulate food intake for reasons that are poorly understood. This laboratory-based twin study tested the genetic and environmental contributions to self-regulatory eating and body fat in early childhood. A total of 69 4-7 year-old same-sex twin pairs, including 40 monozygotic and 29 dizygotic pairs, were studied. Self-regulatory eating was operationalized as the percentage compensation index (COMPX%), assessed by a 'preload' challenge in which lunch intake was measured following a low- (3 kcal) or high-calorie (159 kcal) drink. Body fat indexes also were measured. The familial association for COMPX% was estimated by an intraclass correlation, and biometric analyses estimated heritability. Children ate more at lunch following the low- compared with high-energy preload (P<0.001), although variability in COMPX% was considerable. Compensation was significantly poorer among African American and Hispanic compared with European Am...
A chronic mismatch of caregiver responsiveness to infant-feeding cues, such as feeding when the i... more A chronic mismatch of caregiver responsiveness to infant-feeding cues, such as feeding when the infant is not hungry, is hypothesized to have a role in the development of overweight by impairing an infant's response to internal states of hunger and satiation. Although this concept of mismatch or discordance has long been acknowledged in scholarly writings, a systematic assessment of the evidence supporting the role of discordant responsiveness during infant feeding in the early origins of overweight is lacking. This review was undertaken to assess evidence for this hypothesized relationship between discordant responsiveness in feeding and overweight in infancy and toddlerhood, framed within the larger social-environmental context of the infant-caregiver dyad. A systematic method was used to extract articles from three databases of the medical, psychology and nursing fields. The quality of evidence collected was assessed using Oxford University Centre for Evidence Based Medicine&...
Preschool-aged children consistently self-regulate energy intake by adjusting food intake to refl... more Preschool-aged children consistently self-regulate energy intake by adjusting food intake to reflect the energy density of the diet. However, only select adults demonstrate self-regulation skills related to energy density cues. The objective was to examine the developmental characteristics of non-Hispanic white and Hispanic children's self-regulation of energy intake and to determine whether individual differences in the precision of food intake regulation were related to the children's anthropometric measures. Three hundred forty-two 5-12-y-old children were recruited from 2 schools, one school that enrolled predominantly non-Hispanic white children (n = 148) and another school in a Hispanic neighborhood (n = 194). The children ate 2-part meals, which consisted of a preload and a main meal. The preloads were fruit-flavored drinks that were either high (625 kJ) or low (12.5 kJ) in energy density. The children's food intake at the meal was measured and energy intake was e...
Research conducted in the 1930s showed that, given nutritious choices, children can select an ade... more Research conducted in the 1930s showed that, given nutritious choices, children can select an adequate diet without adult supervision. Paradoxically, children grew well and were healthy despite patterns of intake at individual meals that were unpredictable and highly variable. To investigate in more detail the energy intake of young children, we measured 24-hour food intake for 15 children, from two to five years of age, on six days. For each of the six days of the study, coefficients of variation were calculated for each child for each of the six meals and snacks (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and morning, afternoon, and evening snacks) and for total daily energy intake. The children&#39;s intake at individual meals was highly variable, but total daily energy intake was relatively constant for each child. The mean coefficient of variation for each child&#39;s energy intake at individual meals was 33.6 percent; in contrast, the mean coefficient of variation for each child&#39;s total daily energy intake was 10.4 percent. In most cases, high energy intake at one meal was followed by low energy intake at the next meal, or vice versa. Although children&#39;s food consumption is highly variable from meal to meal, daily energy intake is relatively constant, because children adjust their energy intake at successive meals.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2002
... Debra Sullivan, PhD, RD, Department of Dietetics &amp; Nutrition, University of Kansas ..... more ... Debra Sullivan, PhD, RD, Department of Dietetics &amp; Nutrition, University of Kansas ... Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence. ... was associate professor, Human Performance Laboratory, University of Nebraska-Kearney, USA. ,; KATE A ...
Nearly all Americans (97%) report eating candy at least once per year, yet, on a given fay, only ... more Nearly all Americans (97%) report eating candy at least once per year, yet, on a given fay, only approximately one-fourth of the US population aged ≥2 y consumes candy. Among all Americans, candy contributes a relatively small proportion of calories, added sugars, and saturated fat to the total diet, and recent research suggests that current levels of candy consumption are not associated with risk of weight gain and cardiovascular disease in children and adults. Providing guidance for the consumption of candy in moderation requires and understanding of various behavioral health-related factors that influence candy consumption. A roundtable of behavioral nutrition experts, researchers, and nutrition educators met to discuss recent data on intakes of candy, health outcomes associated with usual candy intake, and the impact of behavioral strategies, including restriction, education, and environmental awareness, on modifying eating behaviors to achieve moderate intakes of candy. Restricting access to palatable foods, whether self-imposed or by parental control, may have potentially negative consequences. Techniques and insight into how to adopt "moderation" in candy consumption, from effective parental practices to environmental strategies that facilitate behavior change without a high degree of effort, were identifies as important next steps towards sustainable dietary guidance related to the role of candy and other treats in a health lifestyle.
Children differ greatly in their ability to self-regulate food intake for reasons that are poorly... more Children differ greatly in their ability to self-regulate food intake for reasons that are poorly understood. This laboratory-based twin study tested the genetic and environmental contributions to self-regulatory eating and body fat in early childhood. A total of 69 4-7 year-old same-sex twin pairs, including 40 monozygotic and 29 dizygotic pairs, were studied. Self-regulatory eating was operationalized as the percentage compensation index (COMPX%), assessed by a 'preload' challenge in which lunch intake was measured following a low- (3 kcal) or high-calorie (159 kcal) drink. Body fat indexes also were measured. The familial association for COMPX% was estimated by an intraclass correlation, and biometric analyses estimated heritability. Children ate more at lunch following the low- compared with high-energy preload (P<0.001), although variability in COMPX% was considerable. Compensation was significantly poorer among African American and Hispanic compared with European Am...
This study evaluated the influence of child and family functioning on child sleep behaviors in lo... more This study evaluated the influence of child and family functioning on child sleep behaviors in low-income minority families who are at risk for obesity. A cross-sectional study was utilized to measure child and family functioning from 2013 to 2014. Participants were recruited from Head Start classrooms while data were collected during home visits. A convenience sample of 72 low-income Hispanic (65%) and African American (32%) families of preschool-aged children were recruited for this study. We assessed the association of child and family functioning with child sleep behaviors using a multivariate multiple linear regression model. Bootstrap mediation analyses examined the effects of family chaos between child functioning and child sleep problems. Poorer child emotional and behavioral functioning related to total sleep behavior problems. Chaos associated with bedtime resistance significantly mediated the relationship between Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) and Bedtim...
ABSTRACT The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays a critical role by providing food to... more ABSTRACT The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) plays a critical role by providing food to children from low-income families while they are enrolled in licensed childcare or attending approved after-school programs. There is little documentation about ...
Children differ greatly in their ability to self-regulate food intake for reasons that are poorly... more Children differ greatly in their ability to self-regulate food intake for reasons that are poorly understood. This laboratory-based twin study tested the genetic and environmental contributions to self-regulatory eating and body fat in early childhood. A total of 69 4-7 year-old same-sex twin pairs, including 40 monozygotic and 29 dizygotic pairs, were studied. Self-regulatory eating was operationalized as the percentage compensation index (COMPX%), assessed by a 'preload' challenge in which lunch intake was measured following a low- (3 kcal) or high-calorie (159 kcal) drink. Body fat indexes also were measured. The familial association for COMPX% was estimated by an intraclass correlation, and biometric analyses estimated heritability. Children ate more at lunch following the low- compared with high-energy preload (P<0.001), although variability in COMPX% was considerable. Compensation was significantly poorer among African American and Hispanic compared with European Am...
A chronic mismatch of caregiver responsiveness to infant-feeding cues, such as feeding when the i... more A chronic mismatch of caregiver responsiveness to infant-feeding cues, such as feeding when the infant is not hungry, is hypothesized to have a role in the development of overweight by impairing an infant's response to internal states of hunger and satiation. Although this concept of mismatch or discordance has long been acknowledged in scholarly writings, a systematic assessment of the evidence supporting the role of discordant responsiveness during infant feeding in the early origins of overweight is lacking. This review was undertaken to assess evidence for this hypothesized relationship between discordant responsiveness in feeding and overweight in infancy and toddlerhood, framed within the larger social-environmental context of the infant-caregiver dyad. A systematic method was used to extract articles from three databases of the medical, psychology and nursing fields. The quality of evidence collected was assessed using Oxford University Centre for Evidence Based Medicine&...
Preschool-aged children consistently self-regulate energy intake by adjusting food intake to refl... more Preschool-aged children consistently self-regulate energy intake by adjusting food intake to reflect the energy density of the diet. However, only select adults demonstrate self-regulation skills related to energy density cues. The objective was to examine the developmental characteristics of non-Hispanic white and Hispanic children's self-regulation of energy intake and to determine whether individual differences in the precision of food intake regulation were related to the children's anthropometric measures. Three hundred forty-two 5-12-y-old children were recruited from 2 schools, one school that enrolled predominantly non-Hispanic white children (n = 148) and another school in a Hispanic neighborhood (n = 194). The children ate 2-part meals, which consisted of a preload and a main meal. The preloads were fruit-flavored drinks that were either high (625 kJ) or low (12.5 kJ) in energy density. The children's food intake at the meal was measured and energy intake was e...
Research conducted in the 1930s showed that, given nutritious choices, children can select an ade... more Research conducted in the 1930s showed that, given nutritious choices, children can select an adequate diet without adult supervision. Paradoxically, children grew well and were healthy despite patterns of intake at individual meals that were unpredictable and highly variable. To investigate in more detail the energy intake of young children, we measured 24-hour food intake for 15 children, from two to five years of age, on six days. For each of the six days of the study, coefficients of variation were calculated for each child for each of the six meals and snacks (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and morning, afternoon, and evening snacks) and for total daily energy intake. The children&#39;s intake at individual meals was highly variable, but total daily energy intake was relatively constant for each child. The mean coefficient of variation for each child&#39;s energy intake at individual meals was 33.6 percent; in contrast, the mean coefficient of variation for each child&#39;s total daily energy intake was 10.4 percent. In most cases, high energy intake at one meal was followed by low energy intake at the next meal, or vice versa. Although children&#39;s food consumption is highly variable from meal to meal, daily energy intake is relatively constant, because children adjust their energy intake at successive meals.
Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2002
... Debra Sullivan, PhD, RD, Department of Dietetics &amp; Nutrition, University of Kansas ..... more ... Debra Sullivan, PhD, RD, Department of Dietetics &amp; Nutrition, University of Kansas ... Department of Health, Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence. ... was associate professor, Human Performance Laboratory, University of Nebraska-Kearney, USA. ,; KATE A ...
Nearly all Americans (97%) report eating candy at least once per year, yet, on a given fay, only ... more Nearly all Americans (97%) report eating candy at least once per year, yet, on a given fay, only approximately one-fourth of the US population aged ≥2 y consumes candy. Among all Americans, candy contributes a relatively small proportion of calories, added sugars, and saturated fat to the total diet, and recent research suggests that current levels of candy consumption are not associated with risk of weight gain and cardiovascular disease in children and adults. Providing guidance for the consumption of candy in moderation requires and understanding of various behavioral health-related factors that influence candy consumption. A roundtable of behavioral nutrition experts, researchers, and nutrition educators met to discuss recent data on intakes of candy, health outcomes associated with usual candy intake, and the impact of behavioral strategies, including restriction, education, and environmental awareness, on modifying eating behaviors to achieve moderate intakes of candy. Restricting access to palatable foods, whether self-imposed or by parental control, may have potentially negative consequences. Techniques and insight into how to adopt "moderation" in candy consumption, from effective parental practices to environmental strategies that facilitate behavior change without a high degree of effort, were identifies as important next steps towards sustainable dietary guidance related to the role of candy and other treats in a health lifestyle.
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