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OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the frequency of family meals in childhood is associated with positive health outcomes in adolescence through the mediating links of increased family cohesion and positive coping skills. DESIGN: Data were obtained from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS), a 10-year longitudinal study of 2,379 black and white girls assessed annually from ages 9-19. The mediational analysis framework of H. C. Kraemer and colleagues (2001) was used to test the hypothesis that the frequency of family meals in childhood (Study Years 1 and 3) would be related to health outcomes (Study Year 10) through the mediating links of family cohesion and coping skills (Study Years 7/8), after adjusting for baseline (Year 1) demographics as well as previous levels of the outcome variables (Years 5/6). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Several measures of adolescent health variables were included as outcome measures. These included the Perceived Stress Scale, three Eating Disorders Inventory subscales (drive for thinness, body dissatisfaction, and bulimia), number of days of alcohol and tobacco consumption, and engaging in extreme weight control behaviors (e.g., self-induced vomiting). RESULTS: More frequent family meals in the first 3 study years predicted greater family cohesion and problem- and emotion-focused coping in Years 7 and 8. Family cohesion mediated family meals and risk of smoking in Year 10. Problem-focused coping mediated family meals and both stress and disordered eating-related attitudes and behaviors in Year 10. CONCLUSION: Eating together as a family during childhood may have multiple benefits in later years. Copyright © 2008 by the American Psychological Association, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To present national estimates and correlates of lifetime and 12-month DSM-IV eating disorders for Latinos. Method: Data come from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), a national epidemiological household survey of Latinos in the United States. Results: Latinos have elevated rates of any binge eating and binge eating disorder but low prevalence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The US born and those living a greater percentage of their lifetime in the US evidenced higher risk for certain eating disorders while severe obesity and low levels of education were significant correlates. Rates of treatment utilization were exceedingly low. Conclusion: Standard eating disorder criteria may not be appropriate for understanding psychological morbidity of eating disorders for Latinos, particularly less acculturated Latinos, due to cultural differences in the presentation of eating disorder symptoms. Criteria for disturbed eating patterns that are more reflective of the illness experience of Latinos should be developed. © 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primiparity has been associated with 3 to 4 mg/dL lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations in black and white adult women that persist several years after delivery., Objective: To examine the lasting effects of adolescent pregnancy on blood lipids, an early risk factor for future cardiometabolic diseases., Design: The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute's Growth and Health Study is a multicenter prospective cohort that measured fasting blood lipids for 1013 (513 black, 500 white) participants at baseline (1987-1988) ages 9-10, and again at follow-up (1996-1997) ages 18-19., Methods: Change in fasting plasma total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, defined as the difference between baseline and follow-up measurements, was compared among 186 (145 black, 41 white) primi- or multiparas, 106 (55 black, 51 white) nulliparous, gravidas versus 721 (313 black, 408 white) nulligravidas. Fully adjusted multiple linear regression models estimated blood lipid changes among these pregnancy groups adjusted for race, age at menarche, baseline lipids, physical inactivity, body mass index, and family sociodemographics., Results: In the 10-year study period, adolescent paras compared with nulligravidas had greater decrements in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (mg/dL; fully adjusted mean [95% confidence interval] group differences in black -4.3 [-6.7, -2.0]; P < .001 and white: -4.5 [-8.2, -0.7]; P = .016) and greater increments in fasting triglycerides (mg/dL; adjusted mean [95% confidence interval] group differences in black: 10.4 [3.9, 16.8]; P < .001, and white: 11.6 [-3.6, 26.8]; P = .167)., Conclusion: Adolescent pregnancy contributes to pro-atherogenic lipid profiles that persist after delivery. Further research is needed to assess whether adolescent pregnancy has implications for future cardiovascular disease risk in young women., (Copyright © 2012 National Lipid Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study was a 10-year longitudinal study of the development of obesity and cardiovascular disease risk factors (including dietary, psychosocial, environmental, and others) in 2379 African American and white girls who were 9 or 10 years old at study entry. Current studies have documented a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency among healthy children, adolescents, and young adults in the United States, especially among low-income, black, and Hispanic children (defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations of <20 ng/mL). Although the main source of vitamin D is direct exposure of the skin to ultraviolet rays from sunlight, certain foods contribute vitamin D including fortified milk, meat, eggs, oils, and fortified cereals. Vulnerable subgroups that are especially at risk for inadequate intakes of vitamin D include teenage girls and women. Research providing the prevalent food sources of vitamin D, especially in the diets of both white and African American female adolescents is limited. The purpose of this study is to document food sources of vitamin D reported by this biracial young cohort and compare potential ethnic or other differences that could enhance tailored dietary interventions that are particularly relevant to this vulnerable population subgroup., (Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To examine the impact of pregnancy on adolescent growth and adiposity relative to nulligravidas of similar maturation stage., Design: Prospective cohort study., Setting: The multicenter National Heart, Lung and Blood Growth and Health Study with annual examinations from 1987-1988 through 1996-1997., Participants: One thousand eight hundred ninety girls (983 black and 907 white) aged 9 to 10 years at enrollment., Main Exposure: Self-reported number of pregnancies and births during adolescence and young adulthood (age, 15-19 years): 311 primiparas (17%), 84 multiparas (4%), 196 nulliparous gravidas (10%), and 1299 nulligravidas (69%)., Outcome Measures: Estimated race-specific changes in body weight, height, body mass index, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist to hip ratio, and percent body fat, defined as the difference between baseline and measurements 9 to 10 years later., Results: Thirty-one percent of black and 10% of white girls gave birth during adolescence and young adulthood. We found evidence of race by pregnancy interactions (P < .10) for changes in weight, body mass index, hip circumference, and percent body fat. Black primiparas and multiparas, respectively, had smaller decrements in waist to hip ratio (0.019 and 0.023) and greater increments in weight (3.6 and 6.0 kg), body mass index (1.3 and 2.3), waist circumference (3.5 and 5.2 cm), hip circumference (2.1 and 4.0 cm), and percent body fat (3.4% and 4.6%) than black nulligravidas after adjustment for baseline measurements, age, study center, family income, parental education, age at menarche, hours of television and video viewing, and height at visit 9 or 10 in weight models (P < .01). White primiparas had borderline greater increments in waist circumference (2.4 cm) and percent body fat (0.9%) and smaller decrements in waist to hip ratio (0.017) than white nulligravidas (P < .05). Height did not differ by pregnancy status., Conclusions: Women who give birth during adolescence and young adulthood have substantially greater increments in overall and central adiposity than adolescents who do not experience pregnancy independent of other known correlates of weight gain.

Objective: The present study examines the relation between acculturation and body shape concern in Fiji--a society undergoing rapid social change., Method: Data were from two cohorts of ethnic Fijian girls and women collected in 1998 (n = 115). A factor analysis was performed to identify dimensions of acculturation. The association of these with body shape concern was examined with linear regression., Results: Three dimensions of acculturation were identified. Multiple linear regression models demonstrated that each of these dimensions of acculturation had a unique relation to body shape concern. The adjusted R(2) for the fully adjusted model relating acculturation to body concern was 0.63, indicating a substantial degree of shared variation between measures of body shape concern and measures of acculturation., Conclusion: Acculturation may have a strong impact on body shape concern in Fiji. However, acculturation is a multidimensional construct and does not likely have a monolithic relation to body shape concern., ((c) 2006 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Objective: Our purpose with this work was to examine the relationship between negative comments about weight, shape, and eating and social adjustment, social support, self-esteem, and perceived childhood abuse and neglect., Methods: A retrospective study was conducted with 455 college women with high weight and shape concerns, who participated in an Internet-based eating disorder prevention program. Baseline assessments included: perceived family negative comments about weight, shape, and eating; social adjustment; social support; self-esteem; and childhood abuse and neglect. Participants identified 1 of 7 figures representing their maximum body size before age 18 and parental maximum body size., Results: More than 80% of the sample reported some parental or sibling negative comments about their weight and shape or eating. Parental and sibling negative comments were positively associated with maximum childhood body size, larger reported paternal body size, and minority status. On subscales of emotional abuse and neglect, most participants scored above the median, and nearly one third scored above the 90th percentile. In a multivariate analysis, greater parental negative comments were directly related to higher reported emotional abuse and neglect. Maximum body size was also related to emotional neglect. Parental negative comments were associated with lower reported social support by family and lower self-esteem., Conclusions: In college women with high weight and shape concerns, retrospective reports of negative comments about weight, shape, and eating were associated with higher scores on subscales of emotional abuse and neglect. This study provides additional evidence that family criticism results in long-lasting, negative effects.

Objectives: Since pubertal maturation is an important covariate in studies that evaluate physical and social changes that occur during the teen years, we examined pubertal parameters in a group of US girls., Study Design: Black and white girls recruited at age 9 were followed annually for 10 years. Preece-Baines model 1 was used to estimate tempo and growth parameters. The temporal trend between age of menarche and onset of puberty was calculated., Results: The study included 615 (77.2% prepubertal) white and 541 (49.4% prepubertal) black participants. Mean onset of puberty was 10.2 and 9.6 years in white and black girls, respectively, menarche was 12.6 and 12.0, achievement of Tanner growth stage 5 was 14.3 and 13.6, and achievement of adult height was 17.1 and 16.5 years. The Pearson's correlation coefficient between menarche and onset of puberty was .37., Conclusions: Menarche is often used as a marker for onset of puberty and for timing of puberty. Data gathered over the past 20 years suggest only moderate correlation between menarche and onset of puberty (.37-.38), which has decreased significantly during the last 50 years. This suggests the existence of both similar and unique factors that impact the age at onset of puberty and age at menarche.

Objective: To assess the association between weight concerns and weight control practices of adolescents and their mothers., Design and Participants: Cross-sectional study of 5331 adolescent girls and 3881 adolescent boys (age range, 11.8-18.4 years) in an ongoing cohort study and their mothers. Participants were included in the analysis if both the adolescent and his or her mother returned a questionnaire mailed in 1999 and provided information on weight, height, and weight concerns., Results: More adolescent girls (33.0%) than boys (8.1%) thought frequently about wanting to be thinner. Compared with adolescent girls who accurately perceived that their thinness was not important to their mother, girls who misperceived (odds ratio [OR] = 1.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3-2.8) or accurately perceived (OR = 2.85; 95% CI, 1.0-8.4) that it was important to their mother that they be thin were significantly more likely to think frequently about wanting to be thinner. Among the adolescent boys, only those who accurately perceived that it was important to their mother that they not be fat were more likely than their peers to think frequently about wanting to be thinner (OR = 3.8; 95% CI, 2.3-6.2). Adolescents who accurately perceived that it was important to their mother to be thin or not fat were significantly more likely to be frequent dieters than their peers who accurately perceived that their weight was not important to their mother., Conclusion: Among adolescents, an accurate perception that weight status is important to their mother is associated with thinking frequently about wanting to be thinner and about frequent dieting.

Objective: The current study examined parental perception of offspring body shape, differential reporting of offspring eating behaviors by mothers and fathers, and gender-specific patterns of offspring feeding habits., Methods: Parents of a community sample of 36-month-old children (N = 93) completed measures regarding their offspring's feeding patterns and body shape., Results: Results revealed noteworthy correlates (e.g., concerns about their child's appetite) of parental perception of offspring weight status. They further suggested that mothers and fathers often differed in their accounts of their child's eating habits, and that parents report certain eating behaviors differently depending on the gender of their child., Conclusion: Clinical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Objective: We incorporated selected items from several existing instruments to create a comprehensive multifactorial instrument to measure problematic eating behaviors in young children and to examine the prevalences and correlates of these behaviors., Method: A community sample of young mothers (N = 93) completed the inventory of problematic eating behaviors for their 36-month-old children., Results: The most common child problems reported by mothers were the spitting out of food during feedings and becoming upset when food was restricted. A four-factor solution identified pickiness (e.g., child eats a limited variety of food), food refusal (e.g., child refuses to eat specific foods), struggle for control (e.g., frequent struggles with child over food), and positive parental behavior (e.g., praising child about his/her food intake) domains. Internal consistency was moderate to good for all factors. Only the struggle for control factor was related to other problematic behaviors as measured by the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL). The food refusal factor was related to mothers' lifetime history of any psychopathology. The pickiness factor was related to mothers' lifetime history of alcohol dependence., Conclusion: Findings suggest that child clinicians should be sensitive to the quality of mother-child interactions during feeding.

Objective: To examine trends in fast-food consumption and its relationship to calorie, fat, and sodium intake in black and white adolescent girls., Design: A longitudinal multicenter cohort study of the development of obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in black and white female adolescents. Data collection occurred annually using a validated 3-day food record and a food-patterns questionnaire., Subjects and Settings: A biracial and socioeconomically diverse group of 2379 black and white girls recruited from 3 centers., Main Outcome Measure: Three-day food records and a food-patterns questionnaire were examined for intake of fast food and its association with nutrient intake. We compared patterns of exposure to fast food and its impact on intake of calories, fat, and sodium., Results: Fast-food intake was positively associated with intake of energy and sodium as well as total fat and saturated fat as a percentage of calories. Fast-food intake increased with increasing age in both races. With increasing consumption of fast food, energy intake increased with an adjusted mean of 1837 kcal for the low fast-food frequency group vs 1966 kcal for the highest fast-food frequency group (P<.05). Total fat in the low fast-food frequency group was 34.3% as opposed to 35.8% in the highest fast-food frequency group (P<.05). Saturated fat went from 12.5% to 13% and sodium increased from 3085 mg to 3236 mg in the lowest vs the highest fast-food frequency group (P<.001)., Conclusions: Dietary intake of fast food is a determinant of diet quality in adolescent girls. Efforts to reduce fast-food consumption may be useful in improving diet and risk for future cardiovascular disease.

Objective: Patterns of pubertal maturation may have an impact on several risk factors associated with adult morbidity and mortality, such as obesity. We examined the relationship of the initial manifestation of puberty in girls with anthropometric measures, as well as age at menarche., Methods: White females (n = 1166, ages 9 and 10 at intake) were followed with annual visits for 10 years. Physical examinations included height, weight, skinfold thicknesses, and pubertal maturation assessment., Results: During the course of the study, 443 of 859 eligible females (51.6%) were observed to have asynchronous maturation in the development of puberty, that is, initial areolar/breast (thelarche pathway) or pubic hair (adrenarche pathway) development, without development of the other characteristic. Using a longitudinal regression model, significant interactions were noted between initial pubertal manifestation and years since onset of puberty on the following outcomes: sum of skinfolds thickness, percent body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and body mass index (BMI). However, age of onset of pubertal maturation was the same in the 2 groups (10.7 years). Females in the thelarche pathway had earlier menarche (12.6 vs 13.1 years) as well as greater skinfolds, body fat, and BMI at the time of menarche. Females in the thelarche pathway also had greater body fat and BMI 1 year before puberty and throughout puberty compared with those in the adrenarche pathway., Conclusions: Females who enter puberty through the thelarche pathway, as compared with the adrenarche pathway, had greater sum of skinfold thicknesses, BMI, and percent body fat 1 year before the onset, as well as throughout, puberty. Because larger body composition and earlier age of menarche of females in the thelarche pathway parallel the epidemiologic profiles of women who are obese or at risk for obesity, these females may be at greater risk for adult obesity.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between timing of sexual maturation and eating disorders symptoms in adolescent girls., Method: Data were collected over 10 years for a cohort of 1,213 Black girls and 1,166 White girls who were either 9 or 10 years old at study entry. Annually, girls' height and weight were measured and, biannually, girls completed self-report measures of eating disorders symptoms., Results: Early-onset menarche is a risk factor for the development of body image and dieting concerns, but the effect of timing is due to the impact of early and late maturation on body weight., Discussion: Findings underscore the importance of adiposity as a risk factor for poor mental health., (Copyright 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Objective: This study examined barriers to treatment in an ethnically diverse community sample of women with eating disorders., Method: Participants were 61 women (22 Hispanics, 8 Asians, 12 Blacks, 19 Whites) with eating disorders. Diagnosis was determined using the Eating Disorder Examination. Treatment-seeking history, barriers to treatment seeking, ethnic identity, and acculturation were assessed., Results: Although 85% of the sample reported wanting help for an eating problem, only 57% had ever sought treatment for an eating or weight problem. Individuals who had sought treatment reported being significantly more distressed about their binge eating than those who had not sought treatment and having begun overeating at a younger age. Of those who had sought help, 86% had not received any treatment for their eating problems. The main barriers to treatment seeking were financial reasons., Conclusion: Women from minority groups who have eating disorders are underdiagnosed and typically not treated., (Copyright 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Objective: Binge eating disorder was introduced in DSM-IV as a psychiatric disorder needing further study. This community-based study describes the relationship between race and clinical functioning in black and white women with and without binge eating disorder., Method: A group of 150 women with binge eating disorder (52 black, 98 white) and a race-matched group of 150 healthy comparison subjects were recruited from the community. Eating and psychiatric symptoms were assessed through interviews and self-report., Results: Black and white women with binge eating disorder differed significantly on numerous eating disorder features, including binge frequency, restraint, history of other eating disorders, treatment-seeking behavior, and concerns with eating, weight, and shape. Black and white healthy comparison subjects differed significantly in obesity rates., Conclusions: For both black and white women, binge eating disorder was associated with significant impairment in clinical functioning. Yet, racial differences in clinical presentation underscore the importance of considering race in psychopathology research.

The aim of this study was to investigate sampling bias as it affects recruited clinic samples of binge eating disorder (BED). Demographic and clinical characteristics of a recruited clinic sample were compared with a community sample. The 2 groups met the same operational definition of BED and were assessed using the same primarily interview-based methods. Ethnicity, severity of binge eating, and social maladjustment were found to increase treatment seeking among participants with BED rather than levels of psychiatric distress or comorbidity. These findings suggest that previous studies using recruited clinic samples have not biased estimates of psychiatric comorbidity in BED.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of early, mid-onset, and late maturation, as assessed by timing of menarche, on height, height velocity, weight, body mass index, and sum of skinfolds in a group of white and black girls., Study Design: The Growth and Health Study recruited 9- and 10-year-old girls from Richmond, California, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Washington, DC. There were 616 white and 539 black participants recruited at age 9 and 550 white and 674 black participants recruited at age 10. Participants were seen annually for 10 visits. Longitudinal regression models were used to test for differences in each growth measure by timing of menarche across all ages and to determine whether these differences change with age., Results: Mean age at menarche among white participants was 12.7 years, and among black participants, 12.0 years. According to race-specific 20th and 80th percentiles, early maturers were tallest at early ages and shortest after adult stature had been attained. Peak height velocity and post-menarche increment in stature were greatest in early maturers and least in late maturers. Weight was greatest in early and least in late maturers, as was body mass index. Sum of skinfolds was also greatest in early and least in late maturers. There was no impact of timing of maturation on two common measures of regional fat distribution., Conclusions: Girls who matured early were shorter in early adulthood, despite having greater peak height velocity and post-menarchal increment in height. Throughout puberty, early maturers had greater ponderosity and adiposity, although there was no association with regional distribution of fat.

Objective: This study examined the relationship between binge eating disorder (BED), a newly proposed eating disorder, and bulimia nervosa (BN)., Method: Three groups recruited from the community were compared: women with BED (n = 150), women with purging BN (n = 48), and women with nonpurging BN (n = 14)., Results: The three groups did not differ significantly in education, weight or shape concern, and current or lifetime prevalence of nine major mental disorders. Women with BED, compared with women with purging BN, were older, less likely to have a history of anorexia nervosa, and less likely to have been treated for an eating disorder. Obesity was more commonly associated with BED than with either subtype of BN., Discussion: Our results lend some support to BED as an eating disorder distinct from purging BN. More research is needed to clarify the position of nonpurging BN relative to BED and purging BN.

The current study explored the relative contribution of exercise, coping responses, cognitive attributions, and emotional experiences to successful weight-loss maintenance in men and women. The data were collected via a large community-based survey on dieting and weight loss commissioned by Consumer Union. Men and women who met our criteria for successful (n = 277 men, n = 329 women) and unsuccessful (n = 277 men, n = 329 women) weight-loss maintenance were included in the sample. Successful weight-loss maintainers (Maintainers) reported having lost at least 10% of their highest adult weight and having maintained that weight loss for at least the three years immediately prior to the survey. Unsuccessful weight-loss maintainers (Regainers) reported not ever having been able to maintain a significant weight loss and having lost and regained a minimum of 10 to 19 pounds at least once. In response to a dietary lapse, Maintainers, as compared with Regainers, reported being more likely to use direct coping and less likely to seek help. The results imply that the most useful variables for differentiating between successful and unsuccessful weight-loss maintainers may involve how they respond to a dietary lapse.

Objectives: To describe the epidemiology of eating disorders (ED) in a community sample of adolescent girls; to compare the clinical characteristics of full-syndrome (FS) and partial-syndrome (PS) ED cases; and to provide information about the continuity between adolescent ED and young adult psychopathology., Method: A randomly selected sample of high school girls were assessed during adolescence (n = 891) and a year later (n = 810), and a stratified subset (n = 538) was assessed during their 24th year. The assessments included the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children, the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation, level of functioning, mental health treatment utilization, history of suicide attempt, and physical symptoms., Results: The incidence of ED was less than 2.8% by age 18, and 1.3% for ages 19 through 23. Comorbidity with other psychopathology (89.5%), but especially depression, was very high. FS- and PS-ED groups differed significantly from a no-disorder comparison group on most outcome measures, and more than 70% of the adolescent FS- and PS-ED cases met criteria for an Axis I disorder in young adulthood., Conclusions: FS- and PS-ED are associated with substantial comorbidity, treatment seeking, impaired functioning, and risk for psychopathology in young adulthood.

Objective: This study examined rates and cost of inpatient and outpatient treatment among 1,932 patients with an eating disorder., Method: One-year (1995) data were available through MarketScan, a national insurance database containing claims for 1,902,041 male patients and 2,005,760 female patients., Results: Female patients (n = 1,756, 0.14% of all females) were significantly more likely to have been treated for an eating disorder than male patients (n = 176, 0.016% of all males), and females received more days of treatment than males. Outpatient treatment was the norm, regardless of gender or type of eating disorder. Average number of days (inpatient or outpatient) was less than the minimum recommended by standards of care. Age-adjusted costs for the treatment of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa were comparable to the cost of treatment for schizophrenia., Discussion: The utilization data are discussed in terms of barriers to care and treatment guidelines for eating disorders., (Copyright 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Objective: To examine the clinical features of subthreshold binge eating disorder (BED)., Method: Participants were recruited directly from the community as part of an ongoing study of risk factors for BED. Forty-four women with subthreshold BED were compared with 44 women with BED and 44 healthy controls on demographic characteristics, body mass index (BMI), eating disorder symptomatology, and psychiatric distress. Diagnoses were established using the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE). Participants completed the EDE-Questionnaire, the Brief Symptom Inventory, and were measured and weighed., Results: Adjusting for significant group differences in BMI, the two eating disorder groups did not differ significantly on measures of weight and shape concern, restraint, psychiatric distress, and history of seeking treatment for an eating or weight problem., Discussion: Given the importance of diagnostic status for access to treatment, further evaluation of the severity criterion specified for BED is needed., (Copyright 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

Objective: This study sought to provide reference data for the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) with use of young adolescent black and white girls. Moreover, the study examined the relationship between race, age, socioeconomic status, and adiposity and each of the eight EDI scales., Method: To achieve these aims, data were used that had been collected in Years 3, 5, and 7 as part of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study, a longitudinal cohort study of risk factors for obesity in black and white girls. For the present report, data were available from 2,228 girls in Year 3, 2,056 girls in Year 5, and 1,902 girls in Year 7., Results: EDI scores were found to vary by race, age, socioeonomic status, and body weight of respondents. Black girls scored different from white girls on all EDI subscales. Scores on all but two subscales (Body Dissatisfaction, Drive for Thinness) decreased significantly with increasing age. Significant inverse associations were found between maximum parental education and all EDI subscales except Body Dissatisfaction and Perfectionism. Elevated body weight was associated significantly with Body Dissatisfaction, Drive for Thinness, Bulimia, Interoceptive Awareness, and Ineffectiveness., Discussion: Our results illustrate the importance of taking into consideration the potentially confounding role of demographic characteristics and body weight when comparing different race or ethnic groups on the EDI., (Copyright 2000 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS) is an epidemiologic study of 1,213 Black and 1,166 White girls (ages 9-10) of risk factors for obesity. NGHS used Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Children (SPPC) to measure domain-specific competence and overall self-worth. This report reviews the psychometric properties of the SPPC in this biracial cohort at baseline and Year 3 visits (ages 11-12). Simple structure yielding unique components for each of the SPPC domains was obtained for White but not Black girls, whether analyzed overall or by parental education level. Internal consistency was higher for White girls in both years. The lack of simple structure was reflected in the higher correlations among the subscales for Black girls. The structure and internal consistency improved in Year 3 for Black girls, indicating that the physical appearance and athletic competence domains were not yet fully differentiated at baseline. Readers should be cautious, however, when interpreting the SPPC in young Black girls.

Objective: This study examined eating disorders and their psychiatric comorbidity in a national sample of hospitalized male veterans., Method: Review of discharge summaries for 466,590 male patients from Veterans Affairs medical centers for fiscal year 1996 resulted in the identification of 98 men with a current ICD-9-CM diagnosis of an eating disorder. For the comorbidity analyses, eating disorder cases were matched with controls drawn randomly from the pool of male patients without an eating disorder, using age and race as matching variables., Results: There was a high rate of comorbid substance use and mood disorder for men with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). Men with AN were also at high risk for comorbid schizophrenia/psychotic disorder, men with BN were at risk for comorbid personality disorder, and men with EDNOS were at special risk for comorbid organic mental disorder and schizophrenia/psychotic disorder., Discussion: For each eating disorder, there was a distinct pattern of psychiatric comorbidity that deserves further study.

Objective: Emotion-induced eating has been implicated as a risk factor for the development of obesity, yet no research has been done on emotion-induced eating in children. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Growth and Health Study (NGHS), a multicenter collaborative study of risk factors for obesity, developed an instrument for measuring emotion-induced eating in children and tested hypotheses regarding the association of emotion-induced eating with food intake and adiposity in preadolescent children., Method: Subjects were 1,213 black girls and 1,166 white girls who were 9 and 10 at study entry. Baseline data were utilized in this report. Girls were assessed by trained female health examiners who recorded height, weight, and indices of sexual maturation. Girls kept a 3-day food diary. Dietary data were coded and analyzed for total caloric and macro nutrient intake. A measure of emotion-induced eating was derived from seven questions about eating in response to emotions (Cronbach's alpha = .78)., Results: Black girls had significantly higher emotion-induced eating scores than white girls (10.8 vs. 9.7, p < .0001). For white girls, but not for black girls, emotion-induced eating was associated with increased intake of sucrose. In both races, a modest inverse association was found between body mass index and emotion-induced eating., Discussion: Prospective studies are needed to explore further the role of emotion-induced eating and food intake and the role of emotion-induced eating in the development of obesity.