Gender Differences Contribute to Eating Behavior Problems in Pediatric IBD

Newswise — In a recent study of children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), researchers at the Columbus Children's Research Institute (CCRI) and Columbus Children's Hospital (CCH), have found that children with IBD have significantly more, and more frequent, eating behavior problems (e.g., poor appetite and poor eating habits) than healthy kids, and gender differences in weight and body image contribute to the behaviors. The research was presented at the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) held October 2-5, 2003.

"Proper nutrition is important for all children, including the approximately nine out of every 100,000 kids affected by IBD," said Laura Mackner, Ph.D., CCRI Center for Biobehavioral Health and assistant professor of pediatrics, The Ohio State University School of Medicine and Public Health. "Once we determined that problematic eating behaviors were more prevalent among children with IBD than healthy children, we went a step further to determine who is more at risk for eating problems among the children with IBD. "Our research showed that for boys with IBD, lower weight was associated with eating behavior problems, but body image was not. For girls it was just the opposite issue " poor body image was related, but weight was not."

For the study, Dr. Mackner and her associate, Wallace V. Crandall, M.D., a pediatric gastroenterologist at CCH and an assistant professor of clinical pediatrics, The Ohio State University School of Medicine and Public Health, studied 50 children with IBD and 32 healthy children between the ages of 11 and 17. The children and their parents both answered questionnaires separately from the other. Parents were asked to identify how often the eating behavior occurred and whether it was a problem. To rate body image, each child completed another questionnaire. Weight was converted to a measure that incorporates a comparison to other children at that same age.

"Problematic eating behaviors have been studied among children with other diseases like cystic fibrosis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis," added Dr. Mackner. "Until this study, there were no data related to eating behavior problems and IBD. Learning more about the eating behavior problems is the first step toward interventions aimed at improving these problems."

Columbus Children's Hospital ranks among the top 10 in National Institutes of Health research awards and grants to freestanding children's hospitals in the country. With nearly 500,000 patient visits each year, Children's Hospital is a 111-year-old pediatric healthcare network treating newborns through age 21. In 2002, the Children's Research Institute conducted more than 250 research projects and is the home of the Center for Injury Research and Policy along with other Centers of Emphasis encompassing gene therapy; molecular and human genetics; vaccines and immunity; childhood cancer; cell and vascular biology; developmental pharmacology and toxicology; and biopathology. Pediatric Clinical Trials International (PCTI), a site management organization affiliated with the hospital, also coordinated more than 50 clinical trials. In addition to having one of the largest ambulatory programs in the country, Children's offers specialty programs and services. Each year, more than 75,000 consumers receive health and wellness education, and 2,000 students from 93 institutions and 500 residents receive training at Children's. More information on Children's Hospital of Columbus is available by calling (614) 722-KIDS (5437), or through the hospital's Web site.