title: The influence of hot and cool executive function on the development of eating styles related to overweight in children.
abstract: Studies linking executive function (EF) and overweight suggest that a broad range of executive functions might influence weight via obesity-related behaviors, such as particular eating styles. Currently, however, longitudinal studies investigating this assumption in children are rare. We hypothesized that lower hot and cool EF predicts a stronger increase in eating styles related to greater weight gain (food approach) and a weaker increase in eating styles related to less weight gain (food avoidance) over a 1-year period. Hot (delay of gratification, affective decision-making) and cool (attention shifting, inhibition, working memory updating) EF was assessed experimentally in a sample of 1657 elementary-school children (German school classes 1-3) at two time points, approximately one year apart. The children's food-approach and food-avoidance behavior was rated mainly via parent questionnaires at both time points. As expected, lower levels of hot and cool EF predicted a stronger increase in several food-approach eating styles across a 1-year period, mainly in girls. Unexpectedly, poorer performance on the affective decision-making task also predicted an increase in certain food-avoidance styles, namely, slowness in eating and satiety responsiveness, in girls. Results implicate that lower EF is not only seen in eating-disordered or obese individuals but also acts as a risk factor for an increase in particular eating styles that play a role in the development of weight problems in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Street 24/25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany. Electronic address: karoline.groppe@uni-potsdam.de.
authors.forename: Karoline
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Groppe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Street 24/25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Elsner
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D001288:Attention; D002648:Child; D003657:Decision Making; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D056344:Executive Function; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D050177:Overweight; D010290:Parents; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D012528:Satiety Response; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015430:Weight Gain
keywords: Development of eating behavior; Food approach; Food avoidance; Hot/cool executive function; Middle childhood; Overweight