Special Issue "Pediatric Obesity and Disordered Eating in Children and Adolescents"

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 November 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Crystal S. Lim
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Mississippi, MS 39216, USA
Interests: pediatric obesity and weight management treatments; psychological comorbidities associated with pediatric obesity; disordered eating; behavioral family weight management interventions; telehealth pediatric weight management interventions; health disparities and cultural and community factors
Dr. Sophie Lanciers
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pediatrics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2500 North State St, Jackson, MS 39216, USA
Interests: pediatric obesity, assessment, and medical weight management; the role of bariatric surgery in pediatrics; building a successful multidisciplinary family-oriented pediatric obesity program including telehealth and remote access

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pediatric obesity continues to be a critical public health issue due to its high prevalence and medical and psychological impacts. Despite great strides in the prevention and treatment of pediatric obesity, there continues to be high rates of overweight and obesity in youth. In addition, disordered eating in youth has increased in prevalence in recent decades, and is associated with short- and long-term consequences. Pediatric obesity or disordered eating put youth at risk for a number of physical and psychological comorbidities.

The goal of this Special Issue in Children is to highlight recent scientific advances examining associations between pediatric obesity and/or disordered eating in children and adolescents, as well as advances in treatment approaches for pediatric obesity or disordered eating in youth. We invite manuscripts focused on young children through emerging adults, and both healthy groups as well as samples that are overweight/obese. We welcome reviews and original research focused on novel interventions, as well as those that identify gaps in knowledge. Submissions that focus on key outcomes related to pediatric obesity and disordered eating, such as weight status, dietary intake, and eating behaviors are also welcome, as are process evaluations that describe the development of approaches that will advance the treatment of pediatric obesity and/or disordered eating.

Dr. Crystal S. Lim
Dr. Sophie Lanciers
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pediatric obesity
  • disordered eating
  • youth
  • young children
  • adolescents
  • prevention and interventions
  • treatment approaches

Published Papers (2 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Article
Maternal Factors and Their Association with Patterns of Beverage Intake in Mexican Children and Adolescents
Children 2021, 8(5), 385; https://doi.org/10.3390/children8050385 - 13 May 2021
Viewed by 815
Abstract
Childhood and adolescence represent critical periods where beverage and food consumption behaviors are learned and developed. Mexican mothers’ presence and influence are instrumental in shaping such behaviors. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and risk associations of maternal factors [...] Read more.
Childhood and adolescence represent critical periods where beverage and food consumption behaviors are learned and developed. Mexican mothers’ presence and influence are instrumental in shaping such behaviors. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and risk associations of maternal factors for unhealthy patterns of beverage intake. This study analyzed data from a population-based cross-sectional study of healthy children and adolescents from Mexico City. Data of subject’s total water intake (TWI) and its’ sources were collected using two 24-h recall surveys. Patterns of beverage intake were constructed based on the guidance system of beverage consumption in the US. Maternal factors of interest included age, body mass index (BMI), mother’s educational level (MEL), socioeconomic status (SES), and belongingness to the paid workforce (BPW). Data of 1532 subject–mother dyads informed that 47% of subjects did not meet the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations for TWI, and 94.6% showed an unhealthy beverage intake pattern, mainly consisting in a lower intake of water and a higher intake of caloric beverages with some nutrients; and calorically sweetened beverages. The major sources of hydration were caloric beverages with some nutrients (i.e., whole milk, fruit water, and flavored milk). The highest risk association for an unhealthy beverage intake pattern was seen in those subjects with mothers in the cluster with lower SES, lower MEL, lower proportion of BPW, higher BMI, and younger age (OR = 9.3, 95% CI 1.2–72.8, P = 0.03). Thus, there is a remarkably high prevalence of an unhealthy pattern of beverage intake, and specific maternal factors may be implicated as enablers of such behaviors, which is also addressable for future interventions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pediatric Obesity and Disordered Eating in Children and Adolescents)
Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Communication
Adolescent Engagement in a Binge-Eating Behavioral Health Intervention: Influence of Perceptions of Physical Appearance and Locus of Control
Children 2021, 8(2), 102; https://doi.org/10.3390/children8020102 - 03 Feb 2021
Viewed by 525
Abstract
Traditional weight management approaches focused solely on weight loss as a measure of success may lead youth to internalize negative beliefs about their appearance, and feel they have little control over their health. We examined how perceptions of appearance and health-related locus of [...] Read more.
Traditional weight management approaches focused solely on weight loss as a measure of success may lead youth to internalize negative beliefs about their appearance, and feel they have little control over their health. We examined how perceptions of appearance and health-related locus of control (HRLOC) influenced engagement and outcomes in a behavioral health intervention for binge eating. Thirty adolescents aged 14–18 years completed measures of self-perception, HRLOC, and eating behaviors. Half (n = 15) completed baseline assessments only, while the other half participated in a 10-week intervention targeting dysregulated eating behaviors. Analyses revealed negative perceptions of physical appearance and internal HRLOC were higher at baseline among youth who completed the intervention compared to those who completed baseline assessments only. Among those completing the intervention, however, greater internal HRLOC and more positive perception of physical appearance at baseline was associated with greater reduction in objective binge episodes and emotional eating post-intervention. Findings of the present study suggest that while having a more negative perception of one’s appearance may initially motivate youth to participate in weight-related interventions, such perceptions can actually lead to poorer health outcomes, and further supports the extant literature on the benefits of interventions that engender positive body image. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pediatric Obesity and Disordered Eating in Children and Adolescents)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop