Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31344421›Full record

ArticleAppetite2019

The association between alexithymia and eating behavior in children and adolescents.

Lisa M Shank, Marian Tanofsky-Kraff, Nichole R Kelly, Manuela Jaramillo, Sarah G Rubin, Deborah R Altman, Meghan E Byrne, Sarah LeMay-Russell, Natasha A Schvey, Miranda M Broadney and 7 more

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PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Appetite, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.8field-weighted citation impact, top 4% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 60 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.

Lisa M ShankMedical and Clinical Psychology Department, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA; Section on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA; Metis Foundation, 300 Convent St #1330, San Antonio, TX, 78205, USA.
Marian Tanofsky-KraffMedical and Clinical Psychology Department, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA; Section on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA. Electronic address: marian.tanofsky-kraff@usuhs.edu.
Nichole R KellyDepartment of Counseling Psychology and Human Services, and Prevention Science, College of Education, 5207 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 97403-5207, USA.
Manuela JaramilloSection on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Sarah G RubinSection on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Deborah R AltmanMedical and Clinical Psychology Department, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA; Section on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Meghan E ByrneMedical and Clinical Psychology Department, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA; Section on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Sarah LeMay-RussellMedical and Clinical Psychology Department, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA; Section on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Natasha A SchveyMedical and Clinical Psychology Department, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD, 20814, USA; Section on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Miranda M BroadneySection on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Sheila M BradySection on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Shanna B YangNutrition Department, Clinical Research Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Amber B CourvilleNutrition Department, Clinical Research Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Sophie RamirezSection on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Alexa C CristSection on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Susan Z YanovskiSection on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA; Office of Obesity Research, Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Jack A YanovskiSection on Growth and Obesity, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development · USUniformed Services University of the Health Sciences · USNational Institutes of Health Clinical Center · USNational Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases · USNational Institutes of Health · USUniversity of Oregon · US

Funding

Physiology, Psychology, and Genetics of ObesityZIAHD000641 · NICHD · EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT · PI YANOVSKI, JACK A. · 2009 to 2025
$24.8M
Physiology, Psychology, and Genetics of ObesityZ01HD000641 · NICHD · EUNICE KENNEDY SHRIVER NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CHILD HEALTH & HUMAN DEVELOPMENT · PI YANOVSKI, JACK A. · 1996 to 2008
$4.6M
Intramural NIH HHS Z01 HD000641Intramural NIH HHS Z99 HD999999Intramural NIH HHS ZIA HD000641
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveAlexithymia, or the difficulty identifying or describing one's own emotions, may be a risk factor for dysregulated eating and excess weight gain. However, the relationships between alexithymia and eating behaviors in community samples of non-clinical youth have not been well-characterized. We hypothesized that alexithymia would be positively associated with disordered and disinhibited eating in a community-based sample of boys and girls without an eating disorder.

methodTwo hundred children (8-17 years old) across the weight spectrum completed an interview to assess loss of control (LOC) eating and eating-related psychopathology, a laboratory test meal designed to induce disinhibited eating, and questionnaires to assess alexithymia, eating in the absence of hunger, and emotional eating. Linear and logistic regressions were conducted to examine the relationship between alexithymia and eating variables, with age, sex, race, and fat mass as covariates. Test meal analyses also adjusted for lean mass. Given the overlap between alexithymia and depression, all models were repeated with depressive symptoms as an additional covariate.

resultsAlexithymia was associated with an increased likelihood of reporting LOC eating (p < .05). Moreover, alexithymia was positively associated with disordered eating attitudes, emotional eating, and eating in the absence of hunger (ps < .05). Greater alexithymia was associated with more carbohydrate and less fat intake at the test meal (ps < .05). After adjusting for depressive symptoms, alexithymia remained associated with eating in the absence of hunger and carbohydrate and fat intake (ps < .05). DISCUSSION: In healthy children, alexithymia is associated with some facets of eating behavior and food intake. If supported prospectively, these preliminary findings suggest alexithymia may be a modifiable risk factor to reduce disordered eating and excess weight gain in youth.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdolescent BehaviorAffective SymptomsBody WeightChildChild BehaviorEatingEmotionsFeeding and Eating DisordersFeeding BehaviorFemaleHumansHungerMaleadjusted for age and sexAdolescentsAlexithymiaBMI-zBody mass index standard deviation scoreChildrenDisinhibited eatingDisordered eatingFood intakeLOC eatingLoss of control eating

Identifiers

PMID31344421
PMCPMC6717524
OpenAlexW2963389560

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.