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Disinhibited Eating and Body Weight in Youth

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Handbook of Behavior, Food and Nutrition

Abstract

The prevalence of pediatric overweight and its health consequences have become increasing public health concerns. This chapter describes disinhibited eating behaviors in youth that might serve to promote overweight. Disinhibited eating is used as an umbrella term to encompass behaviors that involve a lack of healthy restraint over food intake, including binge eating and loss of control (LOC) eating, emotional eating, and eating in the absence of hunger (EAH). Data on the prevalence and correlates of each type of disinhibited behavior are provided, and the similarities and differences among the specific eating behaviors are considered. A brief review of the options for assessment of disinhibited eating in youth is supplied, followed by a consideration of novel pediatric interventions targeting disinhibited eating behavior for the prevention and/or treatment of obesity.

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Abbreviations

BED:

Binge eating disorder

BMI:

Body mass index (kg/m2)

BN:

Bulimia nervosa

EAH:

Eating in the absence of hunger

LOC Eating:

Loss of control over eating

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the research support from the Intramural Research Program, National Institutes of Health, grant Z01-HD-00641 (to J. Yanovski) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development with supplemental funding from the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities; National Research Service Award, grant 1F32HD056762 (to L. Shomaker) from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and grant 1R01DK080906-01A1 (to M. Tanofsky-Kraff) from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockvile Pike, MSC 1103, Hatfield CRC, room IE-3330, Bethesda, Maryland, 20892-1103, USA

    Jack A. Yanovski

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  1. Lauren B. Shomaker
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  2. Marian Tanofsky-Kraff
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  3. Jack A. Yanovski
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Correspondence to Jack A. Yanovski .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Nutrition & Dietetics, King's College, Stamford St. 150, London, SE1 9NH, United Kingdom

    Victor R. Preedy

  2. Arizona Health Science Center, Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public, University of Arizona, 1501 N. Campbell Ave. Room 4335, Tucson, 85724-5155, Arizona, USA

    Ronald Ross Watson

  3. University of the West of Scotland, Ayr Campus, Ayr, KA8 0SR, United Kingdom

    Colin R. Martin

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Shomaker, L.B., Tanofsky-Kraff, M., Yanovski, J.A. (2011). Disinhibited Eating and Body Weight in Youth. In: Preedy, V., Watson, R., Martin, C. (eds) Handbook of Behavior, Food and Nutrition. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-92271-3_139

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