Exploring The Association Between Early Childhood Eating Patterns And Adolescent Symptoms

Girls who overeat regularly successful nan preschool years are much apt to acquisition anxiety, impulsivity and hyperactivity successful adolescence, according to a caller study led by researchers astatine McGill University and nan Douglas Research Centre.

The study followed much than 2,000 Quebec children utilizing provincial data, search eating patterns reported by caregivers successful early puerility and assessing mental-health symptoms erstwhile participants turned 15. The nexus betwixt overeating and later difficulties was seen successful girls, but not successful boys.

Takeaway for caregivers

The findings propose that children's eating patterns tin beryllium early signals of mental-health challenges. The researchers emphasize, however, that nan results show only associations, not that definite eating patterns needfully origin later intelligence wellness challenges.

"Occasional overeating is normal, but if a kid often overeats, it tin beryllium a motion of affectional struggles," said elder writer Linda Booij, Professor successful McGill's Department of Psychiatry and clinician-scientist astatine nan Douglas Eating Disorders Continuum and Research Centre.

The reply isn't restriction. In fact, strict power tin make things worse and moreover summation nan consequence of disordered eating. Instead, parents and caregivers should besides salary attraction to children's affectional well-being."

Linda Booij, Professor, Department of Psychiatry, McGill University

Why girls and not boys?

The differing results for girls and boys whitethorn beryllium partially explained by sociocultural factors, Booij said.

"It could beryllium that parents whitethorn sometimes show girls' eating much intimately than boys', and restrictive environments could beryllium linked to accrued consequence of disordered eating later successful life. The societal discourse astir girls' eating habits whitethorn partially explicate why overeating is linked pinch later difficulties for them," she said.

The researchers identified 3 patterns of overeating successful young children: astir 60 per cent showed nary signs of overeating, astir 14 per cent began overeating early betwixt ages 2 and four, and astir 26 per cent started later, astir property four.

Girls who started to overeat either early aliases later connected were much apt than were nan non-overeaters to study specified symptoms arsenic anxiety, hyperactivity and impulsivity astatine property 15.

Picky eating

Looking astatine picky eating told a different story. About one-third of nan children were picky eaters successful early childhood, and those habits tended to enactment nan aforesaid during their childhood. But dissimilar overeating, picky eating showed nary relationship to mental-health struggles successful adolescence.

While galore parents interest astir picky eating, Booij says it is often a communal developmental shape that, connected its own, does not needfully awesome later affectional aliases behavioral problems. However, if picky eating persists complete clip aliases originates to interfere pinch a child's growth, nutrition, affectional aliases regular functioning, it whitethorn beryllium a motion of a much superior concern.