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Socioeconomic status and changes in appetite from toddlerhood to early childhood

Kininmonth, AR; Smith, AD; Llewellyn, CH; Fildes, A; (2020) Socioeconomic status and changes in appetite from toddlerhood to early childhood. Appetite , 146 , Article 104517. 10.1016/j.appet.2019.104517. Green open access

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Abstract

Understanding the mechanisms through which deprivation predisposes a child to increased obesity risk is key to tackling health inequality. Appetite avidity is a key driver of variation in early weight gain. Low socioeconomic status (SES) can be a marker of a more ‘obesogenic’ food environment which may encourage the behavioural expression of appetite avidity. The objective was to test the hypothesis that children of lower SES demonstrate increases in appetite avidity from toddlerhood to five years. Data were from the Gemini twin birth cohort, with one twin per family selected at random. Parents completed the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) to assess appetitive traits at 16 months and five years. SES was defined using a weighted composite measure comprising seven key correlates. Linear regression models examined the cross-sectional and prospective associations between SES and appetite from 16 months to 5 years, controlling for appetite at 16 months, sex, birth weight and parental BMI. Cross-sectionally, lower SES was significantly associated with higher food responsiveness (β = −0.09 ± 0.024), higher enjoyment of food (β = −0.13 ± 0.024), lower satiety responsiveness (β = 0.09 ± 0.024), and lower food fussiness (β = 0.09, ±0.024) at 16 months. At age 5, lower SES was significantly associated with higher food responsiveness (β = −0.10 ± 0.032), higher desire to drink (β = −0.22 ± 0.031) and higher emotional overeating (β = −0.10 ± 0.032). Prospectively, lower SES predicted greater increases in two key weight-related appetitive traits, from 16 months to 5 years: emotional overeating (β = −0.10 ± 0.032; p < 0.01) and food responsiveness (β = −0.09, ±0.030; p < 0.01). The results indicate that appetite may be a behavioural mediator of the well-established link between childhood deprivation and obesity risk.

Type: Article
Title: Socioeconomic status and changes in appetite from toddlerhood to early childhood
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.104517
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2019.104517
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Socioeconomic status, Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire, Appetite, Childhood, Inequalities
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Behavioural Science and Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10087811
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