Marissa A. Gowey

Loss of control eating and eating disorders in adolescents before bariatric surgery.

OBJECTIVE This study assessed loss of control (LOC) eating and eating disorders (EDs) in adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery for severe obesity. METHOD Preoperative baseline data from the Teen Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (Teen-LABS) multisite observational study (n = 242; median BMI = 51 kg/m2 ; mean age= 17; 76% female adolescents; 72% Caucasian) included anthropometric and self-report questionnaires, including the Questionnaire of Eating and Weight Patterns-Revised (QEWP-R), the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and the Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Kids (IWQOL-Kids) RESULTS: LOC eating (27%) was common and ED diagnoses included binge-eating disorder (7%), night eating syndrome (5%), and bulimia nervosa (1%). Compared to those without LOC eating, those with LOC eating reported greater depressive symptomatology and greater impairment in weight-related quality of life. DISCUSSION Before undergoing bariatric surgery, adolescents with severe obesity present with problematic disordered eating behaviors and meet diagnostic criteria for EDs. LOC eating, in particular, was associated with several negative psychosocial factors. Findings highlight targets for assessment and intervention in adolescents before bariatric surgery.

Disordered Eating and Health-Related Quality of Life in Overweight and Obese Children

OBJECTIVES To examine disordered eating and associations with health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in rural overweight/obese (OW/OB) children. METHODS Cross-sectional analyses were conducted with 272 rural OW/OB children aged 8-12 years (M = 10.36; SD = 1.39). Child anthropometrics, demographics, disordered eating attitudes, unhealthy weight control behaviors (UWCBs), and HRQOL were measured. Relationships between these variables were analyzed using bootstrapped multiple linear regressions. RESULTS Clinically significant disordered eating attitudes were endorsed by 17% of the sample, and the majority endorsed UWCBs. Disordered eating attitudes and weight status were the most common predictors of HRQOL. Disordered eating attitudes and UWCBs were negatively related to emotional HRQOL but were unrelated to social, school, or physical HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS Disordered eating is a serious and relevant problem in OW/OB children living in rural areas and may be indicative of impairments in emotional functioning. Early intervention may reduce the risk for eating disorders and associated negative sequelae.

Executive Function and Dysregulated Eating Behaviors in Pediatric Obesity

Objective To examine the association between caregiver proxy report of executive function (EF) and dysregulated eating behavior in children with obesity. Methods Participants were 195 youth with obesity aged 8-17 years, and their legal guardians. Youth height, weight, demographics, depressive symptoms, eating behaviors, and EF were assessed cross-sectionally during a medical visit. Analyses of covariance, adjusted for child age, gender, race/ethnicity, standardized BMI, depressive symptoms, and family income were used to examine differences in youth EF across caregiver and youth self-report of eating behaviors. Results Youth EF differed significantly by caregiver report of eating behavior but not youth self-report. Post hoc analyses showed that youth with overeating or binge eating had poorer EF than youth without these eating behaviors. Conclusions Executive dysfunction, as reported by caregivers, in youth with obesity may be associated with dysregulated eating behaviors predictive of poor long-term psychosocial and weight outcomes. Further consideration of EF-specific targets for assessment and intervention in youth with obesity may be warranted.

Depressive Symptoms, Ethnic Identity, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Obese Youth

OBJECTIVE Examine relations between depressive symptoms, ethnic identity, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in overweight or obese (OV/OB) children. METHODS A total of 166 OV/OB 8- to 17-year-olds (M = 12.94 years; 86.7% obese; 50.6% racial/ethnic minority) attending an outpatient pediatric obesity medical clinic participated. Children completed the Childrens Depression Inventory-Short Form, Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM), and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. RESULTS Increased depressive symptoms significantly predicted reduced total, physical, and psychosocial HRQOL. For minority OV/OB youth only, MEIM Affirmation/Belonging moderated depressive symptoms and total HRQOL (effect = -2.59, t = -2.24, p = .027; R(2) overall model = 0.315) and depressive symptoms and psychosocial HRQOL (effect = -3.01, t = -2.47, p = .015; R(2) overall model = 0.331). CONCLUSIONS Depressive symptoms are negatively associated with HRQOL. In minority OV/OB youth, high ethnic identity may be protective when depressive symptoms are minimal. Ethnic identity and other cultural factors are important to consider in psychosocial treatments for pediatric obesity.

Peer Victimization in Adolescents With Severe Obesity: The Roles of Self-Worth and Social Support in Associations With Psychosocial Adjustment

Objective To examine the associations of peer victimization with internalizing symptoms, externalizing symptoms, social competence, and academic performance in a clinical sample of adolescents with severe obesity, and whether self-worth and social support affect these associations. Methods Multisite cross-sectional data from 139 adolescents before weight loss surgery ( M age = 16.9; 79.9% female, 66.2% White; M Body Mass Index [BMI] = 51.5 kg/m 2 ) and 83 nonsurgical comparisons ( M age = 16.1; 81.9% female, 54.2% White; M BMI = 46.9 kg/m 2 ) were collected using self-reports with standardized measures. Results As a group, participants did not report high levels of victimization. Self-worth mediated the effects of victimization on a majority of measures of adjustment, and further analyses provided evidence of the buffering effect of social support for some mediational models. Conclusions Self-worth and social support are important targets for prevention and intervention for both victimization and poor adjustment in adolescent severe obesity.

The moderating role of body dissatisfaction in the relationship between ADHD symptoms and disordered eating in pediatric overweight and obesity

ABSTRACT Background: Identifying factors linked to disordered eating in overweight and obesity (OV/OB) may provide a better understanding of youth at risk for disordered eating. This project examined whether ADHD symptoms and body dissatisfaction were associated with disordered eating. Methods: ADHD symptoms, disordered eating, and body dissatisfaction were assessed in 220 youth ages 7–12 who were OV/OB. Results: Multiple linear regressions showed that body dissatisfaction and ADHD symptoms were associated with disordered eating. Discussion: Children with ADHD symptoms and OV/OB may be at greater risk for disordered eating when highly dissatisfied with their bodies. Health care providers should assess body image and disordered eating in youth with comorbid OV/OB and ADHD.

Similar weight loss and maintenance in African American and White women in the Improving Weight Loss (ImWeL) trial

OBJECTIVE African Americans (AA) are often underrepresented and tend to lose less weight than White participants during the intensive phase of behavioral obesity treatment. Some evidence suggests that AA women experience better maintenance of lost weight than White women, however, additional research on the efficacy of extended care programs (i.e. continued contacts to support the maintenance of lost weight) is necessary to better understand these differences. METHODS The influence of race on initial weight loss, the likelihood of achieving ≥5% weight reduction (i.e. extended care eligibility), the maintenance of lost weight and extended care program efficacy was examined in 269 AA and White women (62.1% AA) participating in a 16-month group-based weight management program. Participants achieving ≥5% weight reduction during the intensive phase (16 weekly sessions) were randomized to a clustered campaign extended care program (12 sessions delivered in three, 4-week clusters) or self-directed control. RESULTS In adjusted models, race was not associated with initial weight loss (p = 0.22) or the likelihood of achieving extended care eligibility (odds ratio 0.64, 95% CI [0.29, 1.38]). AA and White women lost -7.13 ± 0.39 kg and -7.62 ± 0.43 kg, respectively, during initial treatment. There were no significant differences in weight regain between AA and White women (p = 0.64) after adjusting for covariates. Clustered campaign program participants (AA: -6.74 ± 0.99 kg, White: -6.89 ± 1.10 kg) regained less weight than control (AA: -5.15 ± 0.99 kg, White: -4.37 ± 1.04 kg), equating to a 2.12 kg (p = 0.03) between-group difference after covariate adjustments. CONCLUSIONS Weight changes and extended care eligibility were comparable among all participants. The clustered campaign program was efficacious for AA and White women. The high representation and retention of AA participants may have contributed to these findings.

The Moderating Effects of Gender on Paternal Encouragement to Diet and Body Dissatisfaction in Youth

The current study examines the relationship between child weight, father encouragement to diet (ETD), and child body dissatisfaction moderated by child gender. Participants were 96 youths (53% female), aged 8–17 attending a primary care appointment. Higher child weight status and greater father ETD predicted greater body dissatisfaction. Child gender moderated this relationship such that BMI-z significantly predicted body dissatisfaction in girls regardless of father ETD; however, BMI-z was only a significant predictor of body dissatisfaction in boys only when father ETD was high. The model explained 41% of the variance in body dissatisfaction.