Do children with overweight respond faster to food-related words?

Overweight in childhood is a risk factor in developing obesity as an adult, thus having severe consequences on the individuals' physical health and psychological well-being. Therefore, studying the cognitive and emotional processes that sustain overweight is essential not only at a theoretical level but also to develop effective interventions. In the present experiment, we examined whether children with overweight respond faster to food-related than non-food-related words in a word recognition task: lexical decision. The participants were 24 children diagnosed with exogenous overweight and 24 children with a healthy weight. The stimulus list included positively valenced food-related words and positively valenced non-food-related words matched in a number of psycholinguistic variables-we also included negatively valenced non-food words. While children with a healthy weight showed similar response times to positively valenced food-related and non-food-related words, children with overweight showed much faster response times to food-related words than to non-food-related words. Furthermore, both children with overweight and children with a healthy weight responded faster to positive than to negative words. These findings suggest a complex interplay of cognitive and emotional factors during word processing that can be used to implement more effective treatments for childhood overweight.

Burlas como factor de riesgo para conductas alimentarias anómalas: estudio prospectivo en una población adolescente / Teasing as a risk factor for abnormal eating behaviours: a prospective study in an adolescent population

Introducción: Existen discrepancias en la literatura sobre el papel de las burlas en la aparición de clínica alimentaria. El objetivo de este artículo es establecer la influencia de las burlas sobre la aparición de conductas alimentarias anómalas en una población adolescente. Material y métodos: Se trata de un estudio prospectivo a 2 años en el que participaron 7.167 adolescentes de entre 13 y 15 años. En una evaluación basal se estudió su exposición a burlas sobre el peso y sobre las capacidades, mediante el cuestionario POTS. Posteriormente, se analizó su asociación con psicopatología alimentaria (EAT) ulterior controlando el efecto del estado nutricional (IMC), la insatisfacción corporal, el impulso a la delgadez, el perfeccionismo (EDI), los síntomas emocionales y la hiperactividad (SDQ), también evaluados en la línea base. El análisis se hizo de manera independiente para ambos géneros. Resultados: El análisis multivariante descartó la existencia de un efecto significativo e independiente de las burlas sobre el peso y de las burlas sobre las capacidades sobre la aparición de psicopatología alimentaria posterior. Los modelos obtenidos fueron similares en ambos sexos, aunque en las chicas, a diferencia de los chicos, el control del IMC bastó para anular cualquier repercusión de las burlas. Conclusiones: Las burlas sobre el peso o sobre las capacidades carecen de efecto directo, en chicos y chicas de 13 a 15 años, sobre el desarrollo de psicopatología alimentaria posterior

Introduction: There are discrepancies in the literature about the role of teasing in the onset of eating pathology. This article aims to establish the influence of teasing in abnormal eating behaviors and attitudes in the adolescent population. Material and methods: This is a two-year prospective study conducted in 7,167 adolescents between 13 and 15 years of age. In a first assessment, teasing about weight and teasing about abilities were measured by means of the POTS.questionnaire. Its association with eating psychopathology after two years was analyzed controlling nutritional status (BMI), body dissatisfaction, drive to thinness, perfectionism (EDI), emotional symptoms and hyperactivity (SDQ) which had also been measured in the first assessment. The analysis was carried out independently for both genders. Results: The multivariant analysis found no significant or independent effect of teasing about weight or teasing about abilities in the onset of later eating psychopathology. The obtained models were similar for both genders although in girls, but not in boys, controlling BMI was enough to make any effect of teasing disappear. Conclusions: Teasing about weight or abilities has no direct effect, neither in boys nor in girls of 13 to 15 years old, in the development of eating psychopathology

Teasing as a risk factor for abnormal eating behaviours: A prospective study in an adolescent population. / Burlas como factor de riesgo para conductas alimentarias anómalas: estudio prospectivo en una población adolescente.

INTRODUCTION: There are discrepancies in the literature about the role of teasing in the onset of eating pathology. This article aims to establish the influence of teasing in abnormal eating behaviors and attitudes in the adolescent population. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This is a two-year prospective study conducted in 7,167 adolescents between 13 and 15 years of age. In a first assessment, teasing about weight and teasing about abilities were measured by means of the POTS.questionnaire. Its association with eating psychopathology after two years was analyzed controlling nutritional status (BMI), body dissatisfaction, drive to thinness, perfectionism (EDI), emotional symptoms and hyperactivity (SDQ) which had also been measured in the first assessment. The analysis was carried out independently for both genders. RESULTS: The multivariant analysis found no significant or independent effect of teasing about weight or teasing about abilities in the onset of later eating psychopathology. The obtained models were similar for both genders although in girls, but not in boys, controlling BMI was enough to make any effect of teasing disappear. CONCLUSIONS: Teasing about weight or abilities has no direct effect, neither in boys nor in girls of 13 to 15 years old, in the development of eating psychopathology.

Influencias genéticas y ambientales en rasgos psicológicos y actitudes alimentarias en una población escolar española / Genetic and environmental influences on psychological traits and eating attitudes in a sample of Spanish schoolchildren

Introducción. La heredabilidad de los trastornos de la conducta alimentaria, como la anorexia nerviosa y la bulimia nerviosa, se ha estimado alrededor del 22% al 62%. El objetivo del presente trabajo es determinar la influencia de los factores genéticos y ambientales que contribuyen en la expresión de los factores psicológicos medidos a través del Eating Disorders Inventory, en función del sexo, en adolescentes de la Comunidad Valenciana (España). Material y métodos. Quinientas ochenta y cuatro parejas de gemelos de 13 a 18 años de edad. Para determinar la cigosidad los profesores rellenaron un cuestionario de similitud física. Se aplicaron las subescalas del Eating Disorders Inventory, impulso a la delgadez, insatisfacción corporal, perfeccionismo e ineficacia. Se ha realizado una modelización de las mismas para establecer los componentes genéticos y ambientales (comunes y específicos) de su varianza. Resultados. En las niñas las 4 variables mostraron un componente de heredabilidad, del 37,7% para la ineficacia, del 42,8% para el perfeccionismo, del 56,9% para el impulso a la delgadez y del 65,5% para la insatisfacción corporal. En los niños se descarta una influencia genética para la insatisfacción corporal, que aparece influenciada exclusivamente por factores ambientales. El resto de variables mostraron un componente heredable, pero en menor medida que en las niñas. Conclusiones. A excepción de la IC en niños, las actitudes y comportamientos alimentarios muestran un patrón parcialmente heredable, que varía en función del sexo (AU)

Introduction. The heritability of eating disorders has been estimated to range from 22% to over 62%.The aim of this study is to determine the relative influence of genetics and environment that contribute to the drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, and ineffectiveness, by evaluating sex differences in a sample of adolescent twins from Valencia, Spain. Material and methods. Five hundred eighty-four pairs of adolescent twins between 13 and 18 years of age completed the study. To determine zygosity, teachers responded to a questionnaire on physical similarity. Psychological traits of eating disorders were assessed with four sub-scales of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI); drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, and ineffectiveness. Twin models were used to assess genetic and environmental (common and unique) factors affecting these four psychological traits. Results. All four traits showed significant genetic contributions among girls, with heritability estimates of 37.7% for ineffectiveness, 42.8% for perfectionism, 56.9% for drive for thinness, and 65.5% for body dissatisfaction. Among boys, body dissatisfaction showed no additive genetic contributions, indicating significant shared and individual specific environment effects. The three other traits in boys showed significant additive genetic contributions, but were lower than in girls. Conclusions. With the exception of body dissatisfaction in boys, psychological traits of eating disorders show heritability patterns that differ according to sex (AU)

Genetic and environmental influences on psychological traits and eating attitudes in a sample of Spanish schoolchildren. / Influencias genéticas y ambientales en rasgos psicológicos y actitudes alimentarias en una población escolar española.

INTRODUCTION: The heritability of eating disorders has been estimated to range from 22% to over 62%.The aim of this study is to determine the relative influence of genetics and environment that contribute to the drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, and ineffectiveness, by evaluating sex differences in a sample of adolescent twins from Valencia, Spain. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Five hundred eighty-four pairs of adolescent twins between 13 and 18 years of age completed the study. To determine zygosity, teachers responded to a questionnaire on physical similarity. Psychological traits of eating disorders were assessed with four sub-scales of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI); drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, perfectionism, and ineffectiveness. Twin models were used to assess genetic and environmental (common and unique) factors affecting these four psychological traits. RESULTS: All four traits showed significant genetic contributions among girls, with heritability estimates of 37.7% for ineffectiveness, 42.8% for perfectionism, 56.9% for drive for thinness, and 65.5% for body dissatisfaction. Among boys, body dissatisfaction showed no additive genetic contributions, indicating significant shared and individual specific environment effects. The three other traits in boys showed significant additive genetic contributions, but were lower than in girls. CONCLUSIONS: With the exception of body dissatisfaction in boys, psychological traits of eating disorders show heritability patterns that differ according to sex.