Is amount of food intake in overweight and obese children related to their psychopathology and to maternal eating behavior?

Objective: To explore the relationship among the amount of food intake of 8- to 12-years old overweight children, their psychopathology (internalizing, externalizing and attention problems) and the mothers' amount of food intake.

Methods: In a previous trial designed to test the influence of a preload on food intake, overweight to obese children and their mothers participated in a taste test thereby consuming a preweighed amount of a mousse-like dessert, which was reweighed again at the end. In the current study, we reanalyzed these data by assessing the relationship between children's amount of food intake and their psychopathology, as measured with the Child Behavior Checklist.

Family structure, body mass index, and eating behavior.

Objective: To explore associations between family structure, children's body mass index (BMI), and eating behaviors of children and their mothers.

Method: Fifty-seven mothers and their children took part in an experimental study. BMI of children was measured.

Restrained eating in overweight children: does eating style run in families?

Overweight children show abnormalities in eating style, such as restrained eating and tendency toward overeating (comprising both emotional and external eating). Family surroundings play a major role in developing eating behaviors in children. We tested whether restrained eating and tendency toward overeating predicted the amount of food intake in 41 overweight children (23 girls and 18 boys) and their parents (40 mothers and 11 fathers) after receiving a preload.