title: Predicting weight outcomes in preadolescence: the role of toddlers' self-regulation skills and the temperament dimension of pleasure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of toddlers' self-regulation skills and temperament in predicting weight outcomes in preadolescence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants for this study included 195 children (114 girls) obtained from three different cohorts participating in a larger ongoing longitudinal study. At 2 years of age, participants participated in several laboratory tasks designed to assess their self-regulation abilities, including emotion regulation, sustained attention and delay of gratification, whereas parents filled out a temperament questionnaire to assess toddlers' pleasure expression. Height and weight measures were collected when children were 4, 5, 7 and 10 years of age. Children also filled out a body image and eating questionnaire at the 10-year visit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-regulation skills in toddlers were associated with body mass index (BMI) development and pediatric obesity as well as body image/eating concerns. The temperament dimension of pleasure was also associated with BMI development and pediatric obesity but not body image/eating concerns.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Self-regulation difficulties across domains as well as temperament-based pleasure in toddlers represented significant individual risk factors for the development of pediatric obesity 8 years later. Early self-regulation difficulties also contributed to body image and eating concerns that typically accompanied overweight children. The mechanisms by which early self-regulation skills and temperament-based pleasure may contribute to the development of pediatric obesity and associated weight concerns are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Center for Children and Families and Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA. pgrazian@fiu.edu
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Graziano
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kelleher
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Calkins
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Keane
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Brien
mesh_terms: D001828:Body Image; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002657:Child Development; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012307:Risk Factors; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013694:Temperament; D015430:Weight Gain