title: Puberty and the manifestations of loss of control eating in children and adolescents.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the manifestations of pediatric loss of control (LOC) eating at different stages of pubertal development.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were a nonclinical sample of 468 youth (8-17 years). Physical examination determined pubertal stage. LOC eating and disordered eating attitudes were assessed with the Eating Disorder Examination. In a randomized crossover design, a subset (n = 244) ate ad libitum from two test meals designed to capture normal and LOC eating.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no differences in the prevalence rates or frequency of reported LOC eating episodes across pubertal stages (ps ≥ 0.50). There were, however, puberty by LOC eating interactions in disordered eating attitudes and palatable food consumption (ps ≤ .05), even after adjusting for age and body composition. LOC eating was associated with elevated global disordered eating attitudes, weight concern, and shape concern in post-pubertal youth (ps ≤ .001), but not pre-pubertal youth (ps ≥ .49). In late-puberty, youth with LOC eating consumed less energy from protein (p < .001) and more from carbohydrate (p = .003) and snack-type foods (p = .02) than those without LOC eating, whereas endorsement of LOC eating in pre- or early-to-mid-puberty was not associated with differences in eating behavior (ps ≥ 0.20).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Findings suggest that puberty may be a critical risk period, when LOC eating behaviors in boys and girls may become accompanied by greater weight and shape concerns and more obesogenic food consumption patterns. Interventions for LOC eating during pre-puberty should be evaluated to determine if they are particularly beneficial for the prevention of exacerbated eating disorder psychopathology and adverse weight outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), DoD, 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, Maryland, 20814; Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland, 20814.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vannucci
authors.forename: Marian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tanofsky-Kraff
authors.forename: Lisa M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ranzenhofer
authors.forename: Nichole R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: Louise M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Hannallah
authors.forename: C Katie
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Pickworth
authors.forename: Mariya V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Grygorenko
authors.forename: Sheila M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brady
authors.forename: Tania A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Condarco
authors.forename: Merel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kozlosky
authors.forename: Andrew P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Demidowich
authors.forename: Susan Z
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Yanovski
authors.forename: Lauren B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Shomaker
authors.forename: Jack A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Yanovski
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001823:Body Composition; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011627:Puberty / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology
keywords: binge eating; body image; eating disorders; loss of control eating; puberty; weight and shape concern