In the Netherlands, 15% of boys and 10% of girls in elementary school show behaviour problems. The current study investigated executive functioning as a risk factor for externalizing behaviour...Show moreIn the Netherlands, 15% of boys and 10% of girls in elementary school show behaviour problems. The current study investigated executive functioning as a risk factor for externalizing behaviour problems. School-age children who are at risk of developing delinquent behaviour are compared to regular developing children in the relation between executive functioning and externalizing behaviour problems. Three components of executive functioning, inhibition, working memory and cognitive flexibility were investigated. The total sample consisted of 131 boys and 34 girls (N = 165), aged eight to twelve years old (M = 10). 76.4% of the sample were high-risk children; the other 33.6% consisted of the control group. The Teacher’s Report Form was filled in by teachers to measure behaviour problems. Three neurological tasks were used to measure inhibition problems, working memory and cognitive flexibility. To obtain the results, a multiple regression analysis, independent t-tests and a moderation analysis were conducted. Inhibition problems and cognitive flexibility appeared to be significant predictors for externalizing problems. Furthermore, high-risk children showed more inhibition problems and a less developed working memory and cognitive flexibility. There was no difference in the relation between any form of executive functioning and externalizing behaviour, when the high-risk and control group were compared. The proven relationship of inhibition problems and externalizing behaviour problems may ultimately be used for the implementation of interventions. Interventions could (partly) focus on improving inhibition control to decrease externalizing behaviour problems.Show less
In young children obesity prevalence has increased over the last few decates (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2017; Hurley, Cross, & Hughes, 2011). It is therefore important to understand the...Show moreIn young children obesity prevalence has increased over the last few decates (World Health Organisation (WHO), 2017; Hurley, Cross, & Hughes, 2011). It is therefore important to understand the factors that influence food intake of young children to prevent obesity at a young age. In this research we have looked at one factor that might influence childs food intake: the responsive reaction to stop feeding when the child feels full (after the first few times of eating solid food, between 4 to 6 months old) and its relationship with the childs BMI (at the age of two). It is hypothesised that if the mother is less responsive towards the cues of satiety of the child, the childs own satiety recognition will develop poorly, leading the child to over-eat and therefore increasing the risk of a high BMI. We compare observed responsive reactions (Responsiveness to feeding cues scale, Hodges et al., 2013) with self-reported reactions (Infant Feeding Style Questionnaire, Birch et al., 2001) to explain why researchers in earlier studies failed to find a clear relationship between responsive reactions and the BMI. Other factors that influence BMI, namely the temperament of the child and the education level of the mother, are taken into account. No relationships were found between the two types of measuring instruments of responsiveness, between the responsiveness and the BMI of the child and between the satiety recognition of the child and the BMI of the child, but there is a relationship between temperament of the child and the BMI of the child. Further research is necessary to understand how responsiveness relates to obesity in combination with other obesity risk factors and protective factors.Show less
Overweight in young Dutch children is a persistent problem. It is important to reduce overweight in children because it is related to diseases later in life. In addition, overweight in childhood...Show moreOverweight in young Dutch children is a persistent problem. It is important to reduce overweight in children because it is related to diseases later in life. In addition, overweight in childhood appears to be related to overweight in adulthood making prevention at an early age important. To decrease the risk of developing overweight, it is important to promote vegetable intake and the self-regulation of energy-intake in toddlers. There are several factors during childhood that play a protective role and reduce the risk of developing overweight and an unhealthy diet consisting of little vegetable intake. This study investigates whether an intervention focusing on repeated exposure to a variation of vegetables (vegetable intervention) and an intervention focusing on sensitive and responsive feeding (VIPP-FI), individually and combined, may act as protective factors for developing a too high Body Mass Index (BMI) and low vegetable intake when children are 18 and 24 months old. A total of 243 first-time mothers and their babies (128 girls, 115 boys) successfully started the intervention-phase. Mean age of the children at the start of the intervention-phase was 4.68 months (sd = .42), mean age of the mothers was 30.4 years (sd = 4.7) and 41.6% only completed a lower education. Infants body weight and height is measured and converted to an SDS-BMI score and the vegetable intake is measured by their mothers and researchers. In the current study, no effect of the vegetable intervention, VIPP-FI and combination intervention on vegetable intake and/or SDS-BMI at 18 and 24 months was found. In conclusion the interventions aimed at the repeated offering of vegetables and sensitive and responsive feeding prove unsuccessful in promoting vegetable intake and a healthy weight. This may be the result of the diet still developing and the unstable SDS-BMI at a young age.Show less
Aim: Weight problems are increasingly common in young children. To develop a healthy eating behavior and, in the long term, a healthy weight, children depend on the parents feeding style. Therefore...Show moreAim: Weight problems are increasingly common in young children. To develop a healthy eating behavior and, in the long term, a healthy weight, children depend on the parents feeding style. Therefore, the current study investigated whether the Video-Feedback Intervention to Promote Positive Parenting – Feeding Infants (VIPP-FI) is an effective intervention to reduce pressuring during mealtimes and to stimulate healthy weight of children. Furthermore, it is examined whether there is a (mediated) relation between pressuring, the satiety responsiveness, and the child’s weight. Method: 109 mother-child pairs were included, 54 (49.5%) mother-child pairs participated in the VIPP-FI group, and 55 (50.5%) mother-child pairs participated in the control group. Pressuring to eat was measured with the Infant Feeding Style Questionnaire (IFSQ), the satiety responsiveness with the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ-T), and the weight-for-length SDS with TNO’s growth calculator. All three were measured before the intervention (4-6 months) and after the intervention (18 months). Results: Before and after the intervention, the results showed that there was no difference in pressuring, both for mothers who participated in the VIPP-FI group and for mothers who participated in the control group. Moreover, for both groups, there was no difference in the weight of children over time. Finally, no direct and mediated relation has been found between pressuring and the weight of children. However, a negative relation has been found between the satiety responsiveness and the weight of children. Conclusion: Contrary to the expectations, no effect of the VIPP-FI on the weight of children has been found. Future studies should include a more objective method to measure several components of the feeding style to obtain the entire effectiveness of the VIPP-FI. Secondly, the use of multiple measurement moments (up to 36 months) is important, so this way it can be investigated whether the relations are predictive.Show less
