1. Drive for thinness in adolescents predicts greater adult BMI in the Growth and Health Study cohort over 20 years.
- Author
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Laraia, Barbara A., Leung, Cindy W., Tomiyama, A. Janet, Ritchie, Lorrene D., Crawford, Patricia B., and Epel, Elissa S.
- Subjects
LEANNESS ,COHORT analysis ,COMPULSIVE eating ,STRUCTURAL equation modeling ,FOOD habits - Abstract
Objective: In youth, a preoccupation with weight and the desire to be thinner, or drive for thinness, might persist into adulthood and predict reward-based compulsive eating and greater weight status.Methods: A total of 623 women were enrolled from a prospective cohort study starting at 10 years old and assessed up to 20 years later. Drive for thinness was measured five times during adolescence. In adulthood (mean age = 39.5), drive for thinness, reward-based eating drive, and BMI were measured.Results: Structural equation modeling found cumulative adolescent drive for thinness predicted higher scores for both adult drive for thinness and reward-based eating drive. Youth drive for thinness was not directly associated with adult BMI but rather indirectly through adult drive for thinness. Reward-based eating drive was not associated with adult BMI.Conclusions: Drive for thinness during the critical developmental years may exert long-term effects on adulthood eating behaviors tied to greater weight gain, potentially reflecting an important early target of intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]- Published
- 2021
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