Factores de riesgo en el desarrollo de la obesidad infantiltemperamento, estrategias parentales y conducta alimentaria

Resumen

The aim of this doctoral thesis on risk factors in the development of childhood obesity was to analyze the behavioral and psychosocial factors that influence early obesity. It is a priority to identify risk and protective factors in childhood in order to establish effective prevention and intervention strategies and programs. In the first empirical study, the Childhood Obesogenic Behaviours' Questionnaire (COBQ) was constructed and validated to assess obesogenic behaviors in Spanish children. The participants were 510 mothers and their children. The mean age of the children was 4.4 years (SD = 1.4), the mean age of the mothers was 37 years (SD = 4.5), with 51% being mothers of boys and 49% mothers of girls. The COBQ questionnaire, the Parental Feeding Style Questionnaire (PSFQ) and the Comprehensive General Parenting Questionnaire (CGPQ) were used. The results of the exploratory factor analysis showed a five-factor model as the most appropriate. The internal consistency of the COBQ total score was 0.92. Statistically significant correlations were found between obesogenic behaviors, general parenting, and parental feeding styles or strategies. The COBQ appears to be a brief, easy and useful instrument for screening for obesogenic behaviors in childhood. The second empirical study was conducted to obtain a better understanding of the relationship between negative emotionality and overweight or obesity in childhood, considering obesogenic behaviors as a possible mediator of this relationship. Participants were 123 mothers and their children (n = 62 boys and n = 61 girls) aged 4 and 7 years. The Children's Behavior Questionnaire Short Form (CBQ) was administered to measure temperament and the COBQ to measure obesogenic behaviors. The results showed significant effects of negative emotionality on the mediating variable (obesogenic behaviors) and the dependent variable (overweight/obesity). The model explained a considerable proportion of the variance in obesity (R2 = .34; p < .001). Thus, obesogenic behaviors fully mediate the relationship between negative emotionality and obesity. In the third study (accepted for publication), an analysis of the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the PSFQ was performed. The participants were 523 sons and daughters and their mothers. The mean age of the children was 4.4 years (SD = 1.35), with 51% being mothers of boys (M = 4.3 years, SD = 1.37) and 49% mothers of girls (M = 4.5 years, SD = 1.32). The PFSQ and CGPQ were used. Confirmatory factor analysis identified a model of four correlated factors: persuading/encouraging eating, emotional eating, instrumental eating, and control of overeating. Cronbach's alpha of the subscales ranged from 0.64 to 0.86, and the McDonald Omega coefficient ranged from 0.66 to 0.86. The factor structure was similar to the original version and to later versions adapted to other cultures and languages. The Spanish sample most frequently used overeating control and persuade/encourage eating, results similar to those obtained in previous studies. The PFSQ scores presented adequate psychometric behavior, suggesting that it may be useful for the assessment of parental eating styles in Spanish children. In short, this doctoral thesis contributes to the detection and prevention of possible risk cases in the development and prevalence of overweight and obesity in childhood, before this disease becomes entrenched in adolescence or adulthood.