{"id":{"repo_id":"loma-linda","oai_identifier":"oai:scholarsrepository.llu.edu:etd-1000"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/loma-linda/oai:scholarsrepository.llu.edu:etd-1000","repository":{"repo_id":"loma-linda","name":"Loma Linda University","base_url":"https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/do/oai/"},"display":{"title":"The Relationship of Infant Feeding and Self-Regulation in Pediatric Obesity","abstract":"Pediatric overweight and obesity is a growing national epidemic with 15 percent of children ages 6-19 considered obese and at least 22 percent considered overweight. Although there are many suggested causes, treatments, and preventions for this epidemic, a construct that is showing promise in the current literature as a preventive factor against obesity is breastfeeding in infancy. However, the mechanisms by which breastfeeding may impact later childhood weight are unknown. Some of the literature posits the possibility of self-regulation as a key mechanism in the role of breastfeeding in pediatric overweight/obesity. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in Body Mass Index in children ages 7-18 who were either breastfed or bottlefed during infancy, as well as a potential dose-dependent effect of duration of breastfeeding on decreased BMI. Further the relationship between self-regulation, operationally defined as emotional eating in later childhood, and as measured by the emotional eating scale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and BMI was investigated. Lastly, group differences between children who were breastfed or bottlefed in early childhood on the DEBQ were also evaluated. Data from 45 children and their caregivers was gathered from Pediatrics clinics at Loma Linda University. The hypotheses that children who were breastfed would have lower BMIs, and that duration of breastfeeding would be associated with lower BMIs were unsupported. Further, results indicated no significant relationship between emotional eating and BMI or a significant difference in emotional eating between children who were either breastfed or bottlefed. These findings are generally inconsistent with previous research and are reflective of a number of limitations in the study. As such, the need for additional research with improved methodologies is discussed.","abstract_html":"Pediatric overweight and obesity is a growing national epidemic with 15 percent of children ages 6-19 considered obese and at least 22 percent considered overweight. Although there are many suggested causes, treatments, and preventions for this epidemic, a construct that is showing promise in the current literature as a preventive factor against obesity is breastfeeding in infancy. However, the mechanisms by which breastfeeding may impact later childhood weight are unknown. Some of the literature posits the possibility of self-regulation as a key mechanism in the role of breastfeeding in pediatric overweight/obesity. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in Body Mass Index in children ages 7-18 who were either breastfed or bottlefed during infancy, as well as a potential dose-dependent effect of duration of breastfeeding on decreased BMI. Further the relationship between self-regulation, operationally defined as emotional eating in later childhood, and as measured by the emotional eating scale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and BMI was investigated. Lastly, group differences between children who were breastfed or bottlefed in early childhood on the DEBQ were also evaluated. Data from 45 children and their caregivers was gathered from Pediatrics clinics at Loma Linda University. The hypotheses that children who were breastfed would have lower BMIs, and that duration of breastfeeding would be associated with lower BMIs were unsupported. Further, results indicated no significant relationship between emotional eating and BMI or a significant difference in emotional eating between children who were either breastfed or bottlefed. These findings are generally inconsistent with previous research and are reflective of a number of limitations in the study. As such, the need for additional research with improved methodologies is discussed.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Beck, Amy Rebecca"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Freeman, Kimberly"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2009,"date_issued":"2009-09-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2009-09-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:52:08Z","subjects":["Clinical Psychology","Breast Feeding","Obesity in children"],"languages":["English"],"rights":["The author has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other rights."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/1","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Freeman, Kimberly"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Beck, Amy Rebecca"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Clinical Psychology","Breast Feeding","Obesity in children"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["The author has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other rights."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/1"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Pediatric overweight and obesity is a growing national epidemic with 15 percent of children ages 6-19 considered obese and at least 22 percent considered overweight. Although there are many suggested causes, treatments, and preventions for this epidemic, a construct that is showing promise in the current literature as a preventive factor against obesity is breastfeeding in infancy. However, the mechanisms by which breastfeeding may impact later childhood weight are unknown. Some of the literature posits the possibility of self-regulation as a key mechanism in the role of breastfeeding in pediatric overweight/obesity. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in Body Mass Index in children ages 7-18 who were either breastfed or bottlefed during infancy, as well as a potential dose-dependent effect of duration of breastfeeding on decreased BMI. Further the relationship between self-regulation, operationally defined as emotional eating in later childhood, and as measured by the emotional eating scale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and BMI was investigated. Lastly, group differences between children who were breastfed or bottlefed in early childhood on the DEBQ were also evaluated. Data from 45 children and their caregivers was gathered from Pediatrics clinics at Loma Linda University. The hypotheses that children who were breastfed would have lower BMIs, and that duration of breastfeeding would be associated with lower BMIs were unsupported. Further, results indicated no significant relationship between emotional eating and BMI or a significant difference in emotional eating between children who were either breastfed or bottlefed. These findings are generally inconsistent with previous research and are reflective of a number of limitations in the study. As such, the need for additional research with improved methodologies is discussed."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Relationship of Infant Feeding and Self-Regulation in Pediatric Obesity"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Freeman, Kimberly"],"dc:creator":["Beck, Amy Rebecca"],"dc:description.abstract":["Pediatric overweight and obesity is a growing national epidemic with 15 percent of children ages 6-19 considered obese and at least 22 percent considered overweight. Although there are many suggested causes, treatments, and preventions for this epidemic, a construct that is showing promise in the current literature as a preventive factor against obesity is breastfeeding in infancy. However, the mechanisms by which breastfeeding may impact later childhood weight are unknown. Some of the literature posits the possibility of self-regulation as a key mechanism in the role of breastfeeding in pediatric overweight/obesity. The purpose of this study was to examine the differences in Body Mass Index in children ages 7-18 who were either breastfed or bottlefed during infancy, as well as a potential dose-dependent effect of duration of breastfeeding on decreased BMI. Further the relationship between self-regulation, operationally defined as emotional eating in later childhood, and as measured by the emotional eating scale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and BMI was investigated. Lastly, group differences between children who were breastfed or bottlefed in early childhood on the DEBQ were also evaluated. Data from 45 children and their caregivers was gathered from Pediatrics clinics at Loma Linda University. The hypotheses that children who were breastfed would have lower BMIs, and that duration of breastfeeding would be associated with lower BMIs were unsupported. Further, results indicated no significant relationship between emotional eating and BMI or a significant difference in emotional eating between children who were either breastfed or bottlefed. These findings are generally inconsistent with previous research and are reflective of a number of limitations in the study. As such, the need for additional research with improved methodologies is discussed."],"dc:identifier":["https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/1"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:rights":["The author has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other rights."],"dc:subject":["Clinical Psychology","Breast Feeding","Obesity in children"],"dc:title":["The Relationship of Infant Feeding and Self-Regulation in Pediatric Obesity"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:52:08Z"}