A Questionnaire-Based Assessment of Hunger, Speed of Eating and Food Intake in Children with Obesity

Figures & data

Table 1 Characteristics and Eating Behavior of the Children with Obesity and Normal-Weight Controls

Clinical Values	Subjects with Obesity	Normal Weight Controls	P-value
Number of subjects	200	100
Mean age (decimal years), mean (SD)	11.1 (3.7)	11.1 (3.2)	NS
Sex distribution % (F/M)	57.3/42.7	47/53	NS
BMI z-score, mean (SD)	2.33 (0.40)	−0.42 (0.73)	<0.001
Hunger ratings (1–7), mean (SD)	5.63 (1.35)	4.28 (1.12)	<0.001
Ratings for food intake at main meal rating (1–7), mean (SD)	5.20 (1.35)	3.66 (1.07)	<0.001
Ratings for speed of eating (1–7), mean (SD)	4.86 (1.68)	3.97 (1.29)	<0.001
Time to hunger from main meal (hours), median [interquartile range]	2.0 [1.0–3.0]	2.5 [1.5–3.5]	NS

Note: Subjects with obesity had a BMI s-score greater than the 95th percentile for age and controls a BMI z-score less than the 75th percentile for age.

Abbreviations: F/M, female/male; NS, non-significant.

Table 2 Multivariable Ordinal Regression Analyses for Ratings for Hunger (1), Food Intake at Main Meal (2), Speed of Eating (3), and Time to Hunger from Main Meal (Hours) (4), Adjusted for Age and Sex, and Sex/Obesity Interaction

	Dependent Variable
	Hunger	Main Meal	Speed of Eating	Time to Hunger
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
	1.997	3.006	1.907	−0.624
Obesity	(1.317, 2.677)	(2.246, 3.766)	(1.234, 2.580)	(−1.246, −0.001)
	p <0.0001	p <0.0001	p <0.0001	p = 0.050
	−0.022	−0.017	−0.001	0.113
Age	(−0.080, 0.037)	(−0.076, 0.042)	(−0.061, 0.058)	(0.051, 0.176)
	p = 0.467	p = 0.572	p = 0.969	p = 0.0004
	0.437	0.509	0.458	−0.511
Sex female	(−0.307, 1.181)	(−0.259, 1.278)	(−0.271, 1.187)	(−1.233, 0.211)
	p = 0.250	p = 0.194	p = 0.219	p = 0.166
Interaction term	−0.332	−1.112	−1.288	0.514
Sex female with	(−1.239, 0.575)	(−2.043, −0.181)	(−2.196, −0.381)	(−0.371, 1.399)
Obesity	p = 0.474	p = 0.020	p = 0.006	p = 0.255

Figure 1 (A–D) Percentages for ratings for hunger, food intake at main meal and speed of eating, and time to hunger from main meal in hours for children and adolescents with obesity and normal weight controls.