Browsing by Subject "10-vuotiaat lapset"

Children’s overweight and obesity are increasing causes of concern. At the same time snacking and eatintg in absence of hunger are more common in developed countries. It is known that food behaviour and food habits are established in childhood. Emotional eating can be a possible mechanism behind food habits increasing the risk of obesity. However, studies on preadolescents’ emotional eating and food habits are lacking. The aim of this study was to identify and interpret emotional eating and investigate the differences of 10-year-old-children’s emotional and non-emotional eater’s food habits in finnish metropolitan area. ISCOLE is a large multi-national study of childhood obesity, lifestyle and environment in a sample of 10-year-old children. The participants of this stuydy study were a sample (n=103) of ISCOLE’s cross-sectional data carried out in six elementary chools in Finland in year 2013. The main outcome measures were chidren’s emotional eating which was assessed with Emotion-Induced Eating Scale (scale 7–21) and food habits with three day food diary. Children’s health behaviours and familie’s sociodemographic variables where measured with several questionnaires and anthropometric measurements. Statistical analysis were obtained to report means and frequencies. T-tests and Chi square-tests were used to test differences in food habits and descriptive statistics by emotional eaters vs. non-emotional eaters. Correlations between emotional eating and food habits were assessed with Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Emotional eating was moderate (mean 9,62). Most commonly children ate more when happy, ate in absence of hunger and rewarded themselves with palatable food. In three day measurement children ate most often vegetables (3,5 times in three days), fruits and berries (2,4), rye bread (2,3), other breads (2,1) and drank fruit juices (2,0). Difference in weight and height between emotional eaters and non-emotional eaters where not significant. Furthermore any other variables included food habits did not differ between emotional eaters and non-emotional eaters. Although it is worth to mention that emotional eaters ate twice as many times savoury pastries than non-emotional eaters did, however difference was not significant (p=0,056). Also emotional eating according to positive emotions correlated negatively with eating sweet cereals (?=-0,235; p=0,017). Emotional eating occured moderate in 10-year-old children in Finland metropolitan area. This study found differences neather between emotional eaters’ vs. non-emotional eaters’ food habits nor health behaviours or sociodemographics. Although the reuslts were indicative in some differences between food habits. Further study in reasons behind children’s emotional eating and its possible tracking into adolescence and adulthood is needed.