Lower subjective status is associated with reduced satiation and satiety among children and adolescents: A laboratory study

Objective

Subjective status represents one's perceptions of their social/socioeconomic standing compared to others. Low subjective status is associated with higher energy intake and body mass, independent of objective status indicators. Low subjective status could be blunting sensations of satiation/satiety, which may spur energy intake. However, there is limited research directly examining the role of subjective status on satiation and satiety, especially in children. We cross-sectionally examined whether subjective socioeconomic status (SSES) and subjective social status (SSS) are independently associated with satiation and satiety. We hypothesized that children/adolescents reporting lower SSES or SSS would report reduced satiation and satiety after energy intake.

Methods

While fasted, children/adolescents (N = 133, Age_Mean = 13.7 ± 3.0 years) consumed a standardized breakfast shake. Participants reported their satiation (difference in pre- and post-shake appetite ratings divided by percentage of shake consumed) and satiety (ratings of hunger across a 90-min period following shake consumption).

Results

Lower SSS was associated with reduced satiation (B = 0.04, 95%CI: 0.0003, 0.08) and both lower SSS and SSES were associated with greater hunger across 90-min (SSS: B = −8.06, 95%CI: 12.94, −4.32; SSES: B = −6.57, 95%CI: 12.35, −1.52). Higher SSES was also associated with lower odds of an unsatiated, yet slowly increasing (OR = 0.61, 95%CI: 0.42, 0.90) or decreasing (OR = 0.63, 95%CI: 0.41, 0.96) hunger trajectory.

Conclusions

Lower subjective status is associated with reduced satiation and satiety among children/adolescents. Blunting of these sensations in early life may help explain the broader relationships between low subjective status, excess energy intake, and higher body mass, as well as socioeconomic disparities in these outcomes.