Comparison of overweight and obese military‐dependent and civilian adolescent girls with loss‐of‐control eating

Abstract

Objective Limited data suggest that the children of U.S. service members may be at increased risk for disordered-eating. To date, no study has directly compared adolescent military-dependents to their civilian peers along measures of eating pathology and associated correlates. We, therefore, compared overweight and obese adolescent female military-dependents to their civilian counterparts along measures of eating-related pathology and psychosocial functioning. Method Adolescent females with a BMI between the 85th and 97th percentiles and who reported loss-of-control eating completed interview and questionnaire assessments of eating-related and general psychopathology. Results 23 military-dependents and 105 civilians participated. Controlling for age, race, and BMI-z, military-dependents reported significantly more binge episodes per month (p<.01), as well as greater eating-concern, shape-concern, and weight-concern (p’s<.01) than civilians. Military-dependents also reported more severe depression (p<.05). Discussion Adolescent female military-dependents may be particularly vulnerable to disordered-eating compared to civilian peers. This potential vulnerability should be considered when assessing military-dependents.

Sex differences in metabolic syndrome components in adolescent military dependents at high‐risk for adult obesity

“…It is estimated that approximately 30% of military dependents have overweight or obesity, 40 and about 20% report disordered eating, 12 with a potentially exacerbated severity compared to their civilian counterparts. 14 Excess weight and obesity and associated comorbidities in military family beneficiaries is estimated to cost the TRICARE program over a billion dollars per year. 41 As such, it is important to develop targeted interventions for military dependents to prevent and ameliorate the adverse physical outcomes associated with disordered eating and high weight.…”

“…10,11 Data also suggest high rates of disordered eating in military dependents, 12 which have been associated with worsened cardiometabolic health, e.g., 13 as well as a potentially exacerbated presentation compared to civilian youth. 14 Contrasting with civilian data showing that adolescent girls are more likely to experience disordered eating than their male counterparts, e.g., 15 few sex differences have been observed among adolescent military dependents. 16 Lastly, the military is primarily comprised of males, 17 and individuals who serve are more likely to have had a family member in the military, 18 further emphasizing that adolescent dependents, particularly boys, are an important group to examine to ensure military readiness.…”

Examination of the Interpersonal Model With Adolescent Military Dependents at High Risk for Adult Obesity

“…Several factors place all youths at risk for high body weight (2), however, some groups may be particularly vulnerable to conditions associated with obesity, such as eating disorders (3). One population potentially susceptible to both obesity and eating disorders may be adolescent dependents of military personnel (4)(5)(6). Indeed, data suggest that such youths may face unique psychosocial stressors specific to their parents' career, such as parental deployment, multiple location changes, and new social environments (7).…”

Associations between Family Weight-Based Teasing, Eating Pathology, and Psychosocial Functioning among Adolescent Military Dependents

“…Importantly, the children of service members appear to be at greater risk for emotional difficulties, as well as eating-and mood-related psychopathology as compared to their civilian peers [44][45][46][47]. For example, the absence of a parent during deployment is associated with poorer school performance and elevated internalizing and externalizing symptoms [45,46,48].…”