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Understanding the Intersection of Childhood Obesity, Eating Behaviors and Traumatic Experiences

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutrition and Public Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 October 2024 | Viewed by 742

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Childhood obesity has emerged as a significant public health challenge globally, with multifaceted causes and consequences that extend into adulthood. While dietary habits, physical activity, genetic predispositions, and socioeconomic factors are well-recognized contributors, emerging research has highlighted the profound impact of psychological factors, particularly relational experiences, on the development and exacerbation of obesity in children.

Eating behaviors, especially in childhood and adolescence, are strongly influenced by the quality of one’s relationships with attachment figures. A parental (and particularly maternal) intrusive or disengaged feeding style has, for instance, been associated with very low or very high BMI, undereating or overeating.

Children who experience poor relationships with their caregivers and with their peers may turn to food as a source of comfort, leading to patterns of overeating or binge eating. This Special Issue seeks to bring together a diverse array of studies and perspectives to shed light on the ways in which trauma impacts childhood obesity and to explore effective strategies for intervention and prevention.

Submissions are encouraged to focus on (but are not limited to) the following areas:

  • Psychological mechanisms linking relational experiences to maladaptive eating behaviors and obesity in childhood.
  • The role of family and society in one’s relationship with obesity.
  • The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood obesity and mental health.
  • Neurobiological perspectives on how relational experiences influence obesity-related pathways in children.

Dr. Silvia Cimino
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • childhood obesity
  • eating behaviors
  • psychological
  • overeating
  • mental

Published Papers (1 paper)

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7 pages, 196 KiB  
Opinion
Parental Neglect and Childhood Obesity Amidst COVID-19: A Developmental Psychopathology Perspective on Health and Developmental Risks
by Silvia Cimino
Nutrients 2024, 16(13), 2162; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16132162 - 7 Jul 2024
Viewed by 571
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the mental health and developmental trajectories of children and adolescents, catalyzing a range of psychological and behavioral issues due to enforced lockdowns and other restrictions. This text explores these impacts through the lens of developmental psychopathology, which [...] Read more.
The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the mental health and developmental trajectories of children and adolescents, catalyzing a range of psychological and behavioral issues due to enforced lockdowns and other restrictions. This text explores these impacts through the lens of developmental psychopathology, which integrates clinical psychology and developmental science to examine the emergence and evolution of psychological disorders across a lifespan. This paper highlights how pandemic-related disruptions have exacerbated conditions such as anxiety and depression and, notably, increased childhood obesity due to changes in lifestyle and reductions in physical activity. The analysis includes a discussion of how isolation has not only restricted access to educational and psychological resources but also increased the risk of parental mental illness and related familial stress, thereby intensifying issues of neglect and their consequent impact on child health. By employing a developmental psychopathology framework, this paper argues for the necessity of targeted interventions that address these complex interplays of genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. Such interventions aim to support children through structured educational and health-oriented strategies, ensuring their well-being amidst the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic. This approach underscores the importance of early, multifaceted strategies involving parents, educators, and healthcare providers to foster healthier developmental outcomes for children facing unprecedented global health crises. Full article
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