High Calorie, Low Nutrient Food/Beverage Intake and Video Gaming in Children as Potential Signals for Addictive Behavior

Abstract

Little is known about the co-occurrence of health risk behaviors in childhood that may signal later addictive behavior. Using a survey, this study evaluated high calorie, low nutrient HCLN intake and video gaming behaviors in 964 fourth grade children over 18 months, with stress, sensation-seeking, inhibitory control, grades, perceived safety of environment, and demographic variables as predictors. SEM and growth curve analyses supported a co-occurrence model with some support for addiction specificity. Male gender, free/reduced lunch, low perceived safety and low inhibitory control independently predicted both gaming and HCLN intake. Ethnicity and low stress predicted HCLN. The findings raise questions about whether living in some impoverished neighborhoods may contribute to social isolation characterized by staying indoors, and HCLN intake and video gaming as compensatory behaviors. Future prevention programs could include skills training for inhibitory control, combined with changes in the built environment that increase safety, e.g., implementing Safe Routes to School Programs.

Parent, peer, and executive function relationships to early adolescent e-cigarette use: A substance use pathway?

“…These changes aid the development of executive function (EF), neurocognitive processes which help to regulate emotions, inhibit impulsive behaviors such as experimentation with drugs, and promote positive decision-making, planning, and goal-directed behaviors as alternatives to drug use (Chambers, Taylor, & Potenza, 2003; Pentz & Riggs, 2013; Reyna & Farley, 2006). In early adolescents, problems or deficits in EF have been found to increase risk for cigarette and alcohol use, as well as other potentially addictive behaviors such as excessive videogaming and dysregulated eating (Pentz, Spruijt-Metz, Chou, & Riggs, 2011; Pentz & Riggs, 2013; Riggs, Spruijt-Metz, Chou, & Pentz, 2012). The obverse also appears to occur.…”

“…In addition to specific demographic characteristics, parent, and peer influences, executive function (EF) deficits have also been found to predict cigarette and alcohol use in early adolescents (Pentz & Riggs, 2013; Pentz et al, 2011; Riggs et al, 2012). In contrast, training early adolescents in EF skills has shown longitudinal effects on preventing cigarette and alcohol use and on reducing externalizing (impulsive) behavior as a mediator of health risk behavior (Pentz & Riggs, 2013).…”

Two facets of stress and indirect effects on child diet through emotion-driven eating

“…Among children, emotion-driven eating has been associated with stressful life events (Hou et al, 2013; Michels et al, 2012) and intake of sweet and salty energy-dense foods (Nguyen-Michel et al, 2007; Rollins et al, 2011). Emotion-driven eating has been associated with higher snack food intake with television and video-gaming in children (Pentz, Spruijt-Metz, Chou, & Riggs, 2011; Snoek, van Strien, Janssens, & Engels, 2006). Emotional eating has been found to occur at higher rates for girls, (Hou et al, 2013) yet is associated with more frequent fruit and vegetable consumption (Nguyen-Michel et al, 2007) and high-calorie/low nutrient food intake in boys (Rollins et al, 2011).…”

“…Emotional eating has been found to occur at higher rates for girls, (Hou et al, 2013) yet is associated with more frequent fruit and vegetable consumption (Nguyen-Michel et al, 2007) and high-calorie/low nutrient food intake in boys (Rollins et al, 2011). Stress may increase emotional eating in adolescents (Kubiak, Vogele, Siering, Schiel, & Weber, 2008; Pentz et al, 2011). One study tested a cross-sectional mediational model in pre-adolescents for three types of stressors: problems, life events, and daily hassles (Michels et al, 2012).…”

A model linking video gaming, sleep quality, sweet drinks consumption and obesity among children and youth

“…This pattern of video gaming has been associated with a myriad of academic, social, psychological and physiological problems, including shortened sleep duration, reduced sleep quality, diminished academic performance and increased attention problems . It is also associated with increased caloric intake; especially the intake of high‐calorie, low‐nutritional quality food . Furthermore, video gaming has been linked to obesity and especially abdominal adiposity ; although this association is not direct and may be mediated through sleep, sedentary time and other factors .…”