Food Switching : A Potentially Obesogenic Behavioral Phenotype In Children
- Author
- Neuwald, Nicholas
- Published
- [University Park, Pennsylvania] : Pennsylvania State University, 2024.
- Physical Description
- 1 electronic document
- Additional Creators
- Keller, Kathleen
Access Online
- etda.libraries.psu.edu , Connect to this object online.
- Graduate Program
- Restrictions on Access
- Restricted (PSU Only).
- Summary
- Obesity represents a paramount global public health crisis, as it exacerbates chronic diseases, curtails life expectancy, and imposes a considerable strain on the United States healthcare system. While once rare in childhood, obesity has been arising earlier in the lifespan, with rates in children more than doubling since the 1990s. Ages 6-12 years, representing middle childhood, is an understudied, yet critical period for obesity risk. Not only does middle childhood intersect with adiposity rebound, but it is a period of rapid brain maturation and increasing autonomy of food-related decision making. Middle childhood is an ideal time to identify behaviors that increase obesity risk as it is likely these behaviors manifest prior to the development of obesity and thus may be useful in the targeting of children who are most susceptible. Certain eating patterns (e.g., faster eating, larger bite size) are indicative of higher risk for obesity, but there is a need to identify additional behavioral phenotypes that predict a child's risk for excess weight. This dissertation provides an evidence base to support a novel behavioral phenotype for obesity, the phenomenon known as food switching (i.e., the tendency to alternate between food items during an eating event). Study 1 established a methodological protocol for the accurate measurement of this behavior. This protocol is potentially relevant for the field in that food switching had, until now, not been defined or properly considered in study designs. This study also demonstrated switching is positively associated with cross-sectionally assessed body weight and hedonic eating. Study 2 demonstrated that the behavior of food switching is consistent within-children across eating events regardless of amount served. However, we did not see evidence that switching was consistent across eating paradigms, which suggests there exists contextual factors that moderate switching behavior. This chapter also found switching to be a reliable predictor of increased intake regardless of amount served, time between meals, or eating paradigm. Study 3 found evidence that food switching was predictive of increases in fat mass index after one year, particularly for children at high familial risk of obesity. This dissertation is impactful as it elucidates this understudied behavior and shines light on its potential target for behavioral interventions. An understanding of how food switching affects the pleasure of eating can potentially be leveraged to reduce excess food intake at a given meal and could be an optimal target for obesity prevention interventions since the behaviors developed during youth tend to persist into adulthood. Lastly, the knowledge obtained from this dissertation advances the field by helping to reframe how the concept of variety is applied to achieve optimal nutrition. Moreover, given the alarming spike in childhood obesity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this dissertation serves as a timely addition to the field in the fight against the highly complex and difficult to control disease.
- Other Subject(s)
- Genre(s)
- Dissertation Note
- Ph.D. Pennsylvania State University 2024.
- Technical Details
- The full text of the dissertation is available as an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file ; Adobe Acrobat Reader required to view the file.
View MARC record | catkey: 45624859