Summary: A study tracking more than 2,000 Quebec children found that girls who regularly overate in the preschool years were more likely to report anxiety, impulsivity, and hyperactivity during adolescence. The association was not found in boys, pointing to possible sociocultural influences such as closer monitoring and restrictive food environments for girls.
Importantly, researchers emphasize that overeating is an early warning sign rather than a cause, and that strict food restriction can backfire. The findings highlight the need to support children’s emotional health when eating difficulties emerge.
Key Facts
- Study Group: Over 2,000 Quebec children followed from early childhood to age 15.
- Main Finding: Preschool overeating in girls linked to later anxiety and impulsivity.
- No Link in Boys: The association was not observed in male participants.
Source: McGill University
Girls who overeat regularly in the preschool years are more likely to experience anxiety, impulsivity and hyperactivity in adolescence, according to a new study led by researchers at McGill University and the Douglas Research Centre.
The study followed more than 2,000 Quebec children using provincial data, tracking eating patterns reported by caregivers in early childhood and assessing mental-health symptoms when participants turned 15. The link between overeating and later difficulties was seen in girls, but not in boys.
Takeaway for caregivers
The findings suggest that children’s eating patterns can be early signals of mental-health challenges. The researchers emphasize, however, that the results show only associations, not that certain eating patterns necessarily cause later mental health challenges.
“Occasional overeating is normal, but if a child frequently overeats, it can be a sign of emotional struggles,” said senior author Linda Booij, Professor in McGill’s Department of Psychiatry and clinician-scientist at the Douglas Eating Disorders Continuum and Research Centre.
“The answer isn’t restriction. In fact, strict control can make things worse and even increase the risk of disordered eating,” she said. “Instead, parents and caregivers should also pay attention to children’s emotional well-being.”
Why girls and not boys?
The differing results for girls and boys may be partly explained by sociocultural factors, Booij said.
“It could be that parents may sometimes monitor girls’ eating more closely than boys’, and restrictive environments could be linked to increased risk of disordered eating later in life. The social context around girls’ eating habits may partly explain why overeating is linked with later difficulties for them,” she said.
The researchers identified three patterns of overeating in young children: about 60 per cent showed no signs of overeating, roughly 14 per cent began overeating early between ages two and four, and about 26 per cent started later, around age four.
Girls who started to overeat either early or later on were more likely than were the non-overeaters to report such symptoms as anxiety, hyperactivity and impulsivity at age 15.
Picky eating
Looking at picky eating told a different story. About one-third of the children were picky eaters in early childhood, and those habits tended to stay the same during their childhood. But unlike overeating, picky eating showed no connection to mental-health struggles in adolescence.
While many parents worry about picky eating, Booij says it is often a common developmental phase that, on its own, does not necessarily signal later emotional or behavioural problems. However, if picky eating persists over time or begins to interfere with a child’s growth, nutrition, emotional or daily functioning, it may be a sign of a more serious concern.
About the study
Funding: The study was supported by the Institut de la statistique du Québec, the Quebec ministries of health, education and family affairs, the Lucie and André Chagnon Foundation, the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail (IRSST), the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Santé and Société et Culture, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Sainte-Justine Hospital research centre.
Key Questions:
A: Girls who frequently overate in early childhood were more likely to show anxiety, impulsivity, and hyperactivity at age 15.
A: No, the link was only observed in girls, suggesting social and cultural factors may play a role.
A: No—strict control may worsen outcomes. Instead, focus on children’s emotional well-being.
About this mental health and neurodevelopment research news
Author: Keila DePape
Source: McGill University
Contact: Keila DePape – McGill University
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Trajectories of childhood eating behaviors and their association with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescence” by Linda Booij et al. BMC Pediatrics
Abstract
Trajectories of childhood eating behaviors and their association with internalizing and externalizing symptoms in adolescence
Objective
Several studies have shown that maladaptive eating behaviors in childhood predict greater risk for eating disorders in adolescence. Whether or not maladaptive eating behaviors could represent developmental risk factors for a larger spectrum of psychopathologies is unknown. This study described longitudinal trajectories of overeating and picky eating behaviors in boys and girls from ages 2.5 to 6 years. We then examined whether these developmental trajectories in childhood are associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms during mid-adolescence (age 15).
Methods
2 014 participants were recruited at birth as part of the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Mothers completed a measure of childhood eating behaviors at 29, 41, 44–56, 56–68 months, and 6 years old. Participants completed the Mental Health and Social Inadaptation Assessment for Adolescents at age 15. Latent class analyses and univariate regression analyses were conducted.
Results
The optimal model for overeating behaviors had three trajectory groups (early-onset overeating; 14.1%, late-onset overeating; 24.3%, and never-displayed overeating; 61.6%). Three stable trajectory groups were found for picky eating behaviors (high level; 7.1%, mid-level; 37.4%, low level; 55.5%). Higher overeating behaviors in childhood were associated with greater impulsivity, hyperactivity, and anxiety in adolescence in girls but not in boys. Trajectories of picky eating were not linked with mental-health symptoms in adolescence.
Conclusions
Overeating behaviors appear less stable over time than picky eating behaviors. Our findings highlight the importance of addressing psychological well-being and ADHD symptoms in children who overeat, particularly in girls, rather than focusing solely on healthy eating habits.