---

Children's self-control is associated with their body mass index as adults

August 16, 2012

As adults, we know that self-control and delaying gratification are important for making healthful eating choices, portion control, and maintaining a healthy weight. However, exhibiting these skills at a young age actually may affect weight later in life. A new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics finds that delaying gratification longer at 4 years of age is associated with having a lower body mass index (BMI) 30 years later.

Between 1968 and 1974, 653 4-year-olds completed a delay of gratification test, in which the children were given one treat, such as a cookie or a marshmallow, and were told that they would be given a second treat if they could wait to eat the first treat for an unspecified length of time (it ended up being 15 minutes). (A video of children trying to delay gratification can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EjJsPylEOY.) Follow-up studies found that delaying gratification for a longer time as a preschooler was associated with adolescent academic strength, social competence, planfulness, ability to handle stress, and higher SAT scores. According to Tanya R, Schlam, PhD, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health's Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention, "Interventions can improve young children's self-control, which may decrease children's risk of becoming overweight and may have further positive effects on other outcomes important to society (general health, financial stability, and a reduced likelihood of being convicted of a crime)."

To further assess the adult benefits of childhood self-control, Dr. Tanya Schlam and colleagues from University of Washington, Columbia University, and University of California, Berkeley, followed-up with study participants (164 responded; 57% female), who are now in their mid-30s, to assess their current BMI (an indicator of body fat), which was cross-referenced with how they did on the delay of gratification test as children. The researchers found that each minute a child delayed gratification predicted a 0.2 decrease in adult BMI. Only 24% of the respondents were overweight and 9% were obese, which is lower than the 2008 national adult average of 34% overweight and another 34% obese.

Fortunately, self-control can be modified and improved. Because large portions and tempting, high-calorie foods usually are readily available (often more so than healthy foods), developing high self-control and ability to delay gratification, along with using other strategies and interventions, can be helpful in regulating caloric intake and achieving a healthy weight, in both children and adults.



Elsevier Health Sciences

Related Self-control Current Events and Self-control News Articles

Study finds brain system for emotional self-control
Different brain areas are activated when we choose to suppress an emotion, compared to when we are instructed to inhibit an emotion, according a new study from the UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and Ghent University.

Weight Gain Linked With Personality Trait Changes
People who gain weight are more likely to give in to temptations but also are more thoughtful about their actions, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

Teens' Brains Are More Sensitive to Rewarding Feedback From Peers
Teenagers are risk-takers - they're more likely than children or adults to experiment with illicit substances, have unprotected sex, and drive recklessly.

Memory, the adolescent brain and lying: The limits of neuroscientific evidence in the law
Brain scans are increasingly able to reveal whether or not you believe you remember some person or event in your life.

Short bouts of exercise boost self control
The resulting increased blood and oxygen flow to the pre-frontal cortex may explain the effects, suggest the researchers.

If you are impulsive, take modafinil and count to 10
Poor impulse control contributes to one's inability to control the consumption of rewarding substances, like food, alcohol, and other drugs.

People with low risk for cocaine dependence have differently shaped brain to those with addiction
People who take cocaine over many years without becoming addicted have a brain structure which is significantly different from those individuals who developed cocaine-dependence, researchers have discovered.

Understanding personality for decision-making, longevity, and mental health
Extraversion does not just explain differences between how people act at social events. How extraverted you are may influence how the brain makes choices - specifically whether you choose an immediate or delayed reward, according to a new study.

Social networks may inflate self-esteem, reduce self-control
Users of Facebook and other social networks should beware of allowing their self-esteem-boosted by "likes" or positive comments from close friends-to influence their behavior: It could reduce their self-control both on and offline.

Poll of psychologists cites emotions as top obstacle to successful weight loss
When it comes to losing weight, a popular New Year's resolution for many, people often focus on eating less and exercising more. But results of a new survey of psychologists suggest dieters should pay attention to the role emotions play in weight gain and loss if they hope to succeed.

---

More Self-control Current Events and Self-control News Articles

---