title: Early childhood precursors for eating problems in adolescence: a 15-year longitudinal community study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This longitudinal community study investigated the role of individual risk factors in early childhood (before age five) for the development of eating problems in adolescence. Nine hundred twenty-one mothers completed the first questionnaire when their child was 1.5 years old, and again when their child was 2.5 (n = 784) and 4.5 (n = 737) years old. Three hundred seventy-three of these children completed the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) when they were 16 years old.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mother-rated early childhood sleep problems (assessed before the age of five) predicted self-rated eating problems in adolescents, with gender, birth weight, and a number of early childhood internal and environmental factors controlled. Unexpectedly, early childhood eating problems were not associated with later eating problems.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The possible role of sleep in the development of eating problems needs further investigation. In particular, mediating mechanisms should be studied more closely.
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 4404, Nydalen, 0403, Oslo, Norway ; NOVA, Norwegian Social Research, P.O. Box 3223, Elisenberg, 0208, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Gertrud Sofie
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Hafstad
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 4404, Nydalen, 0403, Oslo, Norway ; NOVA, Norwegian Social Research, P.O. Box 3223, Elisenberg, 0208, Oslo, Norway ; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1094, Blindern, 0317, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Tilmann
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: von Soest
authors.affiliation: Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, P.O. Box 4404, Nydalen, 0403, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Leila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Torgersen
keywords: Disordered eating; Early childhood; Eating problems; Longitudinal; Prospective study; Sleep problems