Childhood Food Addiction and the Family

Food addiction among children is a concerning issue. Few empirical studies have examined the relevance of food addiction among pediatric samples, but emerging evidence suggests that some children experience their eating patterns as addictive. The present review will discuss the issue of food addiction among children, and will also attend to the related concepts of binge eating and obesity. Several family factors that have been implicated as contributing to problematic eating practices among children will be discussed, including family functioning, parental modeling, parental pressure, and the impact of low socioeconomic status. Finally, implications for counselors who work with families struggling with food addiction will be presented.