The Role of Regulation and Emotional Eating Behaviour in the Early Development of Obesity

The impact of a health promotion program on toddlers' socio-emotional development: a cluster randomized study

BACKGROUND

The first 3 years of life are a critical period for the development of socio-emotional skills, highlighting the importance of socio-emotional development in early childhood. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a health promotion intervention program on the socio-emotional development of children aged 12 to 42 months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A total of 344 children from 15 childcare centers participated in this study, with six centers in the intervention group and nine in the control group. Childcare teachers in the intervention group received a 6-month training program aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles, including topics such as diet, sleep, physical activity, and sedentary behavior. Sociodemographic and anthropometric measures were assessed at baseline, and socio-emotional development was assessed using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - Third Edition (Bayley-III) at baseline and post-intervention.

RESULTS

After the intervention, a significant difference in socio-emotional development was observed between children with mothers of varying education levels. Specifically, children whose mothers had lower education levels demonstrated significantly greater socio-emotional development (B = 19.000, p = 0.028) compared to the control group. In contrast, there was no significant difference in socio-emotional development among children with mothers from higher education levels.

CONCLUSION

These findings suggest that intervention programs for childcare teachers can effectively promote healthy socio-emotional development in children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Future intervention programs should consider tailoring their approaches to target disadvantaged populations.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This cluster randomized controlled trial was registered in the Clinical Trials database/platform on 09/09/2019 (number NCT04082247).

Is the association between sleep and socio-emotional development mediated by weight in toddlers aged 12 to 36 months?

Introduction

Childhood is an important stage for socio-emotional development. Understanding the associations of lifestyle habits with the healthy development of social and emotional skills is crucial for better interventions early in life. This study aims to analyze the association between sleep and socio-emotional development in toddlers aged 12 to 36 months and examine whether weight mediated these associations.

Methods

This study is part of a cluster randomized controlled trial developed in Portuguese childcare centers. A sample of 344 children (176 females) enrolled in the study. Participants' anthropometrics were measured while at childcare centers using standardized procedures. Body mass index (BMI) was computed as the body weight/height2 (kg/m2) ratio. Sleep quality was collected with the Tayside Children's Sleep Questionnaire, a 10-item scale that evaluates the child's ability to initiate and maintain sleep. Two additional questions regarding sleep duration were added. Parental questionnaires assessed the child's sex and date of birth, socioeconomic status, and total energy intake (TEI). Motor (fine and gross) was assessed using Bayley-III scales and socio-emotional (SE) by the Greenspan Social-Emotional Growth Chart questionnaire. Linear regression models were used to examine the associations between sleep (duration and quality) and SE with adjustments for sex, age, BMI, mothers' education, motor development, and TEI. Mediation analysis was conducted using path analysis.

Results

SE development was significantly associated with nighttime sleep duration even when adjusted for confounders (β = 0.223; 95% CI: 0.001, 0.004 and β = 0.168; 0.0003, 0.003; respectively). Sleep quality was not significantly associated with SE development, and the weight did not explain the associations between sleep and SE development.

Conclusion

This study supports that sleep duration is directly associated with SE development in toddlers. From a public health perspective, sleep duration should be prioritized in intervention programs to improve socio-emotional development early in life.

Analysis of Self-Regulation of Eating Behaviors within Polish Adolescents' COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study

The self-regulation of eating behaviors (suppression of behavioral short-term impulse to consume food products in the interest of pursuing long-term weight goals), has been an important determinant for adopting a healthy lifestyle in the period of the COVID-19 pandemic in adults, but there have been no such studies conducted in the population of adolescents in this period. The aim of the presented study is to analyze self-regulation of eating behaviors in the population-based sample of Polish adolescents within the Polish Adolescents’ COVID-19 Experience (PLACE-19) Study. The Self-Regulation of Eating Behavior Questionnaire (SREBQ) was used to assess self-regulation of eating behaviors in the studied population of 1126 Polish adolescents (818 females and 308 males), aged 15−20, recruited based on a random quota sampling within a national sample. Based on the screening questions of the SREBQ, 145 individuals were excluded from the analysis. The participants of the study were categorized based on their gender, body mass index, body mass index change during the COVID-19 pandemic, and food products declared as tempting. The major factors associated with SREBQ score were body mass index change and tempting food products. The respondents losing weight during the COVID-19 pandemic were characterized by a higher SREBQ score than those maintaining stable body mass or gaining weight (3.4 vs. 3.2 vs. 3.2; p = 0.0001). The respondents declaring both sweet and salty food products as tempting were characterized by a lower SREBQ score than those declaring only sweet, only salty, or declaring no tempting products (3.2 vs. 3.4 vs. 3.4 vs. 3.4; p < 0.0001). The major factors associated with SREBQ categories were gender, body mass index change, and tempting food products. A higher share of respondents characterized by a high self-regulation of eating behaviors was observed for males than for females (27.4% vs. 18.8%; p = 0.0142); for respondents losing weight during the COVID-19 pandemic than for respondents gaining weight (25.9% vs. 15.5%; p = 0.0423); as well as for respondents declaring no tempting products than those declaring both sweet and salty food products (38.3% vs. 18.2%; p < 0.0001). It was concluded that the self-regulation of eating behaviors in adolescents is closely associated with food products perceived as tempting by them, as well as with gender. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the low self-regulation of eating behaviors was a significant determinant of the body mass gain. Taking this into account, female adolescents characterized by a low self-regulation of eating behaviors especially should be subjected to a dedicated intervention program to prevent overweight and obesity.