Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Eating in the Absence of Hunger and Obesity Among Adolescents in Santiago, Chile

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Community Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In reports among mostly, US, white, preschool and young school-age children eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) has been positively related to adiposity, with some support for a sex-specific relationship. There is considerable interest in EAH and obesity in populations at risk for obesity—like populations of countries that have undergone rapid development. We assessed adolescents (n = 679) after an overnight fast with anthropometry and an EAH paradigm beginning with an ad lib pre-load meal. Participants reported satisfaction and perceived ability to eat more food, and then proceeded to a room with freely available snacks where they were permitted to eat ad lib for 20 min. Adolescents were 16.8 years old, 52% male, and 14% with obesity. Median preload meal kcal consumption was 602 (IQR 474–746). Additional calories were consumed at the EAH snack by 47.6%. Among those who ate snack, 155 additional calories were consumed (IQR 78–283). Adolescents with obesity had 0.61 (95% CI 0.37–0.99) reduced odds of eating at the EAH snack adolescents without obesity. Adolescents with obesity were also less likely to eat above the median total calories compared to adolescents without obesity (OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.36–0.96). A sex by obesity interaction term was not significant in any model. Obesity was related to eating behavior in our sample of Chilean adolescents, however not in the direction we hypothesized. Adolescents with obesity were less likely to eat additional calories in the EAH paradigm and ate fewer total calories compared to adolescents without obesity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

EAH:

Eating in the absence of hunger

INTA:

Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology

References

  1. Arnold, T. A., Johnston, C. S., Lee, C. D., & Garza, A. M. (2015). Eating in the absence of hunger in college students. Appetite, 92, 51–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2015.05.010.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Atalah, E. (2012). Epidemiología de la obesidad en chile. Revista Médica Clínica Las Condes, 23(2), 117–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0716-8640(12)70287-0.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Burrows, R., Díaz, E., Sciaraffia, V., Gattas, V., Montoya, A., & Lera, L. (2008). Dietary intake and physical activity in school age children. Revista Médica de Chile, 136(1), 53–63. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0034-98872008000100007.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Butte, N. F., Cai, G., Cole, S. A., Wilson, T. A., Fisher, J. O., Zakeri, I. F., Ellis, K. J., Comuzzie, A. G. (2007). Metabolic and behavioral predictors of weight gain in Hispanic children: The Viva la Familia Study. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 85(6), 1478–1485. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/85.6.1478.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Corder, K., & Van Sluijs, E. M. F. (2010). Invited commentary: Comparing physical activity across countries-current strengths and weaknesses. American Journal of Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1093/aje/kwq068.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  6. Corvalán, C., Garmendia, M. L., Jones-Smith, J., Lutter, C. K., Miranda, J. J., Pedraza, L. S., Popkin, B. M., Ramirez-Zea, M., Salvo, D., Stein, A. D. (2017). Nutrition status of children in Latin America. Obesity Reviews, 18, 7–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12571.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Cutting, T. M., Fisher, J. O., Grimm-Thomas, K., & Birch, L. L. (1999). Like mother, like daughter: Familial patterns of overweight are mediated by mothers’ dietary disinhibition. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 69(4), 608–613. https://doi.org/10.1097/00004583-199910000-00028.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Fisher, J. O., & Birch, L. L. (2002). Eating in the absence of hunger and overweight in girls from 5 to 7 years of age. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 76(1), 226–231. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/76.1.226.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Fisher, J. O., Cai, G., Jaramillo, S. J., Cole, S. A., Comuzzie, A. G., & Butte, N. F. (2007). Heritability of hyperphagic eating behavior and appetite-related hormones among hispanic children. Obesity, 15(6), 1484–1495. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2007.177.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Flint, A., Raben, A., Blundell, J. E., & Astrup, A. (2000). Reproducibility, power and validity of visual analogue scales in assessment of appetite sensations in single test meal studies. International Journal of Obesity, 24(1), 38–48. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801083.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Fogel, A., Mccrickerd, K., Fries, L. R., Goh, A. T., Quah, P. L., Chan, M. J., Toh, J. Y., Chong, Y. S., Tan, K. H., Yap, F., Shek, L. P., Forde, C. G. (2018). Eating in the absence of hunger: Stability over time and associations with eating behaviours and body composition in children. Physiology and Behavior, 192, 82–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2018.03.033.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Frankort, A., Roefs, A., Siep, N., Roebroeck, A., Havermans, R., & Jansen, A. (2012). Reward activity in satiated overweight women is decreased during unbiased viewing but increased when imagining taste: An event-related fMRI study. International Journal of Obesity, 36(5), 627–637. https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2011.213.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Gahagan, S. (2012). Development of eating behavior: biology and context. Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics, 33(3), 261–271. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0b013e31824a7baa00004703-201204000-00010 [pii].

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Galván, M., Uauy, R., Corvalán, C., López-Rodríguez, G., & Kain, J. (2013). Determinants of cognitive development of low SES Children in Chile: A post-transitional country with rising childhood obesity rates. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 17(7), 1243–1251. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1121-9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Gearhardt, A. N., Miller, A. L., Sturza, J., Epstein, L. H., Kaciroti, N., & Lumeng, J. C. (2017). Behavioral associations with overweight in low-income children. Obesity, 25(12), 2123–2127. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.22033.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Hill, C., Llewellyn, C. H., Saxton, J., Webber, L., Semmler, C., Carnell, S., Jaarsveld, C. H., Boniface, D., Wardle, J. (2008). Adiposity and “eating in the absence of hunger” in children. International Journal of Obesity, 32(10), 1499–1505. https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2008.113.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Ho-Urriola, J., Guzmán-Guzmán, I. P., Smalley, S. V., González, A., Weisstaub, G., Domínguez-Vásquez, P., Valladares, M., Amador, P., Hodgson, M. I., Obregón, A. M., & Santos, J. L. (2014). Melanocortin-4 receptor polymorphism rs17782313: Association with obesity and eating in the absence of hunger in Chilean children. Nutrition, 30(2), 145–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2013.05.030.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Jordan, H. A., Wieland, W. F., Zebley, S. P., Stellar, E., & Stunkard, A. J. (n.d.). Direct Measurement of Food Intake in Man: A Method for the Objective Study of Eating Behavior. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.509.8168&rep=rep1&type=pdf.

  19. Kelly, N. R., Shomaker, L. B., Pickworth, C. K., Brady, S. M., Courville, A. B., Bernstein, S., Schvey, N. A., Demidowich, A. P., Galescu, O., Yanovskim, S. Z., Yanovski, J. A. (2015). A prospective study of adolescent eating in the absence of hunger and body mass and fat mass outcomes. Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.), 23(7), 1472–1478. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.21110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Kelly, N. R., Shomaker, L. B., Pickworth, C. K., Grygorenko, M. V., Radin, R. M., Vannucci, A., Shank, L. M., Brady, S. M., Courville, A. B., Tanofsky-Kraff, M., Yanovski, J. A. (2015). Depressed affect and dietary restraint in adolescent boys’ and girls’ eating in the absence of hunger. Appetite, 91, 343–350. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2015.04.072.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  21. Kral, T. V. E., Allison, D. B., Birch, L. L., Stallings, V. A., Moore, R. H., & Faith, M. S. (2012). Caloric compensation and eating in the absence of hunger in 5- to 12-y-old weight-discordant siblings. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 96(3), 574–583. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.112.037952.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Kral, T. V. E., Moore, R. H., Stunkard, A. J., Berkowitz, R. I., Stettler, N., Stallings, V. A., Tanaka, L. M., Kabay, A. C., Faith, M. S. (2010). Adolescent eating in the absence of hunger and relation to discretionary calorie allowance. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 110(12), 1896–1900. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jada.2010.09.009.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Lira, M., & Vio, A. (n.d.). Informe Mapa Nutricional 2015. Retrieved from https://www.junaeb.cl/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Informe-Mapa-Nutricional-2015.pdf.

  24. Lohman, T. G., Roche, A. F., & Martorell, R. (1988). Anthropometric Standardization Reference Manual. Books on Demand. Retrieved from http://books.google.com/books?id=DZ53AAAACAAJ.

  25. Lozoff, B., De Andraca, I., Castillo, M., Smith, J. B., Walter, T., & Pino, P. (2003). Behavioral and developmental effects of preventing iron-deficiency anemia in healthy full-term infants. Pediatrics, 112(4), 846–854.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Ministerio de Salud de Chile. (2017). Encuesta Nacional de Salud 2016–2017 Primeros resultados. Departamento de Epidemiología, División de Planificación Sanitaria, Subsecretaría de Salud Pública. Retrieved from http://web.minsal.cl/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/ENS-2016-17_PRIMEROS-RESULTADOS.pdf.

  27. Moens, E., & Braet, C. (2007). Predictors of disinhibited eating in children with and without overweight. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 45(6), 1357–1368. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2006.10.001.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Pacheco, L. S., Blanco, E., Burrows, R., Reyes, M., Lozoff, B., & Gahagan, S. (2017). Early onset obesity and risk of metabolic syndrome among Chilean adolescents. Preventing Chronic Disease, 14(10). https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd14.170132.

  29. Reyes, M., Hoyos, V., Martinez, S. M., Lozoff, B., Castillo, M., Burrows, R., Blanco, E., Gahagan, S. (2014). Satiety responsiveness and eating behavior among Chilean adolescents and the role of breastfeeding. International Journal of Obesity, 38(4), 552–557. https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2013.191.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Roncagliolo, M., Garrido, M., Walter, T., Peirano, P., & Lozoff, B. (1998). Evidence of altered central nervous system development in infants with iron deficiency anemia at 6 mo: delayed maturation of auditory brainstem responses. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 68(3), 683–690.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Sallis, J. F., & Saelens, B. E. (2000). Assessment of physical activity by self-report: Status, limitations, and future directions assessment of physical activity by self-report. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 71, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2000.11082780.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Shomaker, L. B., Tanofsky-Kraff, M., Zocca, J. M., Courville, A., Kozlosky, M., Columbo, K. M., Wolkoff, L. E., Brady, S. M., Crocker, M. K., Ali, A. H., Yanovski, J. A. (2010). Eating in the absence of hunger in adolescents: intake after a large-array meal compared with that after a standardized meal. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 92(4), 697–703. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.2010.29812.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. WHO | Obesity and overweight. (2018). WHO. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/.

Download references

Funding

For this study was provided by the National Institutes of Health, Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (HL088530, PI: Gahagan) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (HD14122, PI: Lozoff and HD33487, MPI: Gahagan and Lozoff). NIH had no role in the study design, collection, analysis or interpretation of the data, writing the manuscript, or decision to submit the paper for publication.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Child Development and Community Health, Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0927, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0927, USA

    E. Blanco & S. Gahagan

  2. Public Health PhD Program, University of Chile, Avenida Independencia 939, Independencia, Región Metropolitana, Chile

    E. Blanco

  3. Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology (INTA), University of Chile, Santiago, Avendia El Líbano 5524, Macul, Región Metropolitana, Chile

    M. Reyes & R. Burrows

  4. Center for Human Growth and Development, Division of Child Behavioral Health, University of Michigan, 300 N. Ingalls Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-5406, USA

    S. Gahagan

Authors
  1. E. Blanco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. M. Reyes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R. Burrows
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. S. Gahagan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

SG, RB and MR designed the study and wrote the protocol. EB designed and conducted the statistical analysis, conducted literature searches and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to and have approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to E. Blanco.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no conflict of interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (XLS 371 KB)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Blanco, E., Reyes, M., Burrows, R. et al. Eating in the Absence of Hunger and Obesity Among Adolescents in Santiago, Chile. J Community Health 44, 874–880 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-018-00608-3

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-018-00608-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation