Eating Disorders as a Predictor of Obesity in Children

• Main Author: T.V. Sorokman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Publishing House Zaslavsky 2015-08-01
• Series: Mìžnarodnij Endokrinologìčnij Žurnal
• Subjects: children; overweight; obesity; eating disorders
• Online Access: http://iej.zaslavsky.com.ua/article/view/75212

The article analyzes the frequency of overweight and obesity in children in Chernivtsi region, studies eating disorders in obese children, presents the results of a multi-faceted survey on indicators in the subsystems «father — mother» and «parents — children». Materials and methods. A total of 325 children aged 10 to 18 years old were examined. A control group consisted of 80 healthy children of the same age. Methods of examination included medical history, anthropometry (height, weight, calculating body mass index, waist circumference, and hip circumference), laboratory and instrumental methods of examination. It was conducted a survey to determine multidimensional indicators of subsystems «father — mother» and «parents — children». Types of eating disorders were examined by the Dutch eating behavior questionnaire (DEBQ). Results. It is shown that overweight and obesity are more common among boys (60 %) of the age group 15–18 years old and girls (40 %) aged 12–15 years old. Obese adolescents significantly more frequently have eating disorders than their healthy peers. External type of eating behavior is mostly diagnosed. In most cases, there is a combination of several types (external, restrictive, emotion ones) of eating behavior. The eating disorders mostly occur in families with such features as an over protectors and stiffness (45.5 and 37.8 %, respectively). Conclusion. The key to successful prevention of obesity in children is the formation of a healthy lifestyle, including long-term skills of proper eating behavior from the first years of life.