title: Fat Tissue Accretion in Children and Adolescents: Interplay between Food Responsiveness, Gender, and the Home Availability of Snacks.
abstract: The appetitive trait "food responsiveness" is assumed to be a risk factor for adiposity gain primarily in obesogenic environments. So far, the reported results are inconsistent in school-aged children, possibly because these studies did not take into account important moderators such as gender and the food-environment. In order to better inform caregivers, clinicians and the developers of targeted obesity-prevention interventions on the conditions in which food responsiveness precedes adiposity gain, the current study investigated if this relationship is stronger in girls and in children exposed to a higher home availability of energy-dense snacks. Age- and sex-independent Fat and Lean Mass Index z-scores were computed based on air-displacement plethysmography at baseline and after 2 years in a community sample of 129 children (48.8% boys) aged 7.5-14 years at baseline. Parents reported at baseline on children's food responsiveness and the home availability of energy-dense snacks. Food responsiveness was a significant predictor of increases in Fat Mass Index z-scores over 2 years in girls but not boys. The home availability of energy-dense snacks did not significantly moderate the relation of food responsiveness with Fat Mass Index z-score changes. The results suggest that food responsiveness precedes accelerated fat tissue accretion in girls, and may inform targeted obesity-prevention interventions. Further, future research should investigate to which food-environmental parameters children high in food responsiveness mainly respond.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Annelies
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Decker
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verbeken
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent UniversityGhent, Belgium; Department of Food Safety and Food Quality, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent UniversityGhent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Isabelle
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sioen
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moens
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental, Personality and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Ghent University Ghent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Braet
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent UniversityGhent, Belgium; Department of Health Sciences, Vesalius, University College GhentGhent, Belgium.
authors.forename: Stefaan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De Henauw
keywords: adiposity; child; feeding behavior; food responsiveness; home availability; snacks