Journal
APPETITE
Volume 114, Issue -, Pages 275-281Publisher
ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2017.03.042
Keywords
Pediatric Psychosocial; Eating behavior; Binge eating; Overweight; Obesity
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [R01 HD036904, K24 MH070446, P30 DK50456, F31 MH071019, K23 DK105234, F32 HD089586]
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality [T32 HS000078]
- Academy for Eating Disorders Graduate Student Research Grant
- American Psychological Association's Division 38 Student Research Award
- RGA/Washington University Longer Life Foundation Research Award
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Purpose: Secretive eating, characterized by eating privately to conceal being seen, may reflect eating and/or body-related shame, be associated with depression, and correlate with binge eating, which predicts weight gain and eating disorder onset. Increasing understanding of secretive eating in youth may improve weight status and reduce eating disorder risk. This study evaluated the prevalence and correlates of secretive eating in youth with overweight or obesity. Methods: Youth (N = 577) presented to five research/clinical institutions.. Using a cross-sectional design, secretive eating was evaluated in relation to eating-related and general psychopathology via linear and logistic regression analyses. Results: Secretive eating was endorsed by 111 youth, who were, on average, older than youth who denied secretive eating (mean age = 12.07 +/- 2.83 versus 10.97 +/- 231). Controlling for study site and age, youth who endorsed secretive eating had higher eating-related psychopathology and were more likely to endorse loss of control eating and purging than their counterparts who did not endorse secretive eating. Groups did not differ in excessive exercise or behavioral problems. Dietary restraint and purging were elevated among adolescents (>= 13y) but not children (<13y) who endorsed secretive eating; depression was elevated among children, but not adolescents, who endorsed secretive eating. Conclusions: Secretive eating may portend heightened risk for eating disorders, and correlates of secretive eating may differ across pediatric development. Screening for secretive eating may inform identification of problematic eating behaviors, and understanding factors motivating secretive eating may improve intervention tailoring. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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