title: Surgency and negative affectivity, but not effortful control, are uniquely associated with obesogenic eating behaviors among low-income preschoolers.
abstract: Despite increased attention to the role of temperament in children's obesogenic eating behaviors, there is a paucity of research examining whether different dimensions of temperament may be differentially associated with specific eating behaviors among preschool-age children. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether three temperament dimensions (surgency, negative affectivity, and effortful control) were uniquely associated with six obesogenic eating behaviors (caregiver-reported food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, emotional overeating, satiety responsiveness, and tantrums over food; and observed eating in the absence of hunger) among low-income preschool-age children, covarying home environment quality. Results showed that temperament dimensions were differentially associated with different eating behaviors. Specifically, preschoolers with higher surgency were more likely to overeat in response to external cues, have frequent desire to eat, derive pleasure from food, and eat in the absence of hunger. In contrast, preschoolers with higher negative affectivity were more likely to have tantrums over being denied food and less likely to eat in the absence of hunger. Effortful control was not uniquely associated with obesogenic eating behavior. Findings remained significant even when home chaos was accounted for, suggesting that child surgency and negative affectivity are important to consider, independent of home environment. Results are discussed with regard to theoretical implications for the study of childhood obesity and for applied prevention implications.
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Christy Y Y
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Diseases, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Julie C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lumeng
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Niko A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Kaciroti
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Yu Pu
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rosenblum
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Growth and Development, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. Electronic address: alimill@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Alison L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Miller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001066:Appetite; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003463:Cues; D004435:Eating; D004644:Emotions; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006963:Hyperphagia / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D016487:Parenting; D057181:Pleasure; D011203:Poverty; D012528:Satiety Response; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D013694:Temperament; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Eating behaviors; Effortful control; Negative affectivity; Preschoolers; Surgency