Laboratory-Based Studies of Eating Among Children and Adolescents

Abstract

The prevalence of pediatric overweight has increased dramatically over the past three decades, likely due to changes in food intake as well as physical activity. Therefore, information examining eating patterns among children and adolescents is needed to illuminate which aspects of eating behavior require modification to prevent and treat pediatric overweight. Because child self-report and parentreport of children's eating habits are often inconsistent and limited by recall and other biases, laboratory-based studies in which food intake is observed and monitored have increased in number. Such studies offer objective and controlled methods of measuring and describing eating behaviors. However, to our knowledge, no publication exists that consolidates, reviews, and provides critical commentary on the literature to date in pediatric samples. In this paper, we review the literature of studies utilizing laboratory methods to examine eating behavior in samples ranging from birth through adolescence. Our review includes all relevant articles retrieved from the PubMed, Medline and PsychInfo search engines. Specifically, we examine meal-feeding studies conducted during the various developmental stages (infancy, preschool, middle childhood, and adolescence), with a focus on methodology. Included in our review are feeding studies related to dietary regulation, exposure and preference, as well as paradigms examining disordered eating patterns and their relationship to body composition. We have structured this review so that both consistent and inconsistent findings are presented by age group, and innovative methods of assessment are discussed in more detail. Following each section, we summarize findings and draw potential conclusions from the available data. We then discuss clinical implications of the research data and suggest directions for the next generation of studies of feeding behavior in children. KeywordsChildren; eating behavior; laboratory eating; feeding; food preference; energy intake Pediatric overweight has nearly tripled over the past 30 years (1) and recent research indicates that dieting and disordered eating behaviors (i.e. binge eating or purging) begin to emerge Correspondence to: Marian Tanofsky-Kraff, Ph.D., Unit on Growth and Obesity, DEB, NICHD, NIH, CRC, Room 1-3330, 10 Center Drive, MSC-1103, Bethesda, MD 20892-1103 FAX: 301-480-2650; e-mail: tanofskm@mail.nih Studies in adults have long demonstrated a discrepancy between self-reported and actual energy intake, with a tendency to underreport intake (e.g., (9,10). This effect may be more pronounced in children, due to recall or comprehension difficulties. Indeed, the research examining the validity of children's self-reports of energy intake indicates that children are quite often inaccurate reporters of their food intake (11-15). Additionally, among children, recall accuracy varies according to characteristics such as age and body weight (12)(13)(14)16,17).Parent-report methods are similarly imperfect. Not only are they dependent on retros...

Eating in the absence of hunger in adolescents: intake after a large-array meal compared with that after a standardized meal

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Observing Snack Time at a Psychoanalytic Parent-Toddler Group: Affect Regulation and Therapeutic Possibilities

“…Most observational studies on eating in toddlerhood have highlighted links with pathology (Tanofsky-Kraff et al, 2007). This research, in focusing on normality (A.…”

“…In a recent meta-analysis, Tanofsky-Kraff et al (2007) show that toddler and preschooler eating has been studied more than any other age group of children, claiming that toddlers can be observed "with little intrusion into their daily habits" p. 62).…”

Liking and consumption of high-fiber snacks in preschool-age children

“…One study available in the literature indicated that the liking a food is associated with the consumption of that food in young children (Tanofsky-Kraff, Haynos, Kotler, Yanovski, & Yanovski, 2007). Another, longitudinal study in young children's showed a strong relationship between children's intake and their liking of the food (Skinner, Carruth, Wendy, & Ziegler, 2002).…”