Executive Functions and Dietary Behaviors in School-Aged Children

Abstract

Background: Studiesthathaveevaluatedexecutivefunctionsanddietarybehaviorsinschool-agedchildrenhavefoundthatdeficits inexecutivefunctionsarecorrelatedwithgreaterintakeof high-caloric-low-nutritionalfoodsandsnacksandlowerconsumptionof fruits and vegetables. However, since these studies analyzed executive functioning as a unidimensional outcome variable, the cor-relationsbetweendietarybehaviorsandspecificdomainsof executivefunctioningwerenotevaluated. Theobjectiveof thepresent studywastoassesstheassociationsbetweendietarybehaviorsandthreedomainsof executivefunctioning(i.e.,inhibition,working memory, planning/initiation skills) in a sample of school-aged children. Methods: Inthiscross-sectionalstudy,one-hundred-two,8thgradestudentsfromapublicmiddleschoolintheUnitedStates(mean age=13.91; SD=0.51; 62.7% female)completedademographicquestionnaire, aself-reportmeasureof executivefunctioning(Behav-ior rating inventory of executive function-BRIEF), and self-report measures of dietary behaviors (adolescent food habits checklist, dietsubscaleof thesummaryof diabetesself-careactivitiesquestionnaire). Theirparentscompletedtheparentversionof theBRIEF. Pearson correlations and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted. Results: After controlling demographic factors (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity, parent education), self-reported planning/initiation skills were associated with healthier eating habits (unstandardized estimate = -0.16; P < 0.01). Conclusions: Thesefindingsunderscoretheneedforresearchevaluatingtheefficacyof techniqueslikeimplementationintentions that target planning/initiation skills in order to increase the consumption of healthy foods in school-aged children.