Poster #103 - Self-Regulation and Anthropometric Changes in the Context of a Motor Skills Intervention for Low-Income Preschoolers

• In Event: 1-115 - Poster Session 03
  In Poster Session: PS 03 Section - Health, Growth, Injury

Integrative Statement

Introduction
Currently, 13.9% of children ages 2-5 years are obese (CDC, 2017). Given the negative health consequences of obesity, it is important to examine potential factors associated with childhood obesity risk. Bub et al. (2016) found that young children with better self-regulation exhibit smaller increases in BMI across childhood, suggesting self-regulation might be a contributing factor to weight gain. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between self-regulation and anthropometrics (e.g., weight, waist circumference, BMI-for-age percentile) at pretest, and changes in anthropometrics across a 15-week motor skills intervention conducted with low-income preschoolers attending Head Start.
Methods
A total of 112 children (62% African-American; 13% White, 7.5% Hispanic, 7.5% Bi-racial, 10% other/no response; 66 girls, Mage= 4.44, SD= .27) participated. Children were randomly assigned by class to an intervention (67, 39 girls, Mage= 4.44, SD= .26) or control group (45, 27 girls, Mage= 4.46, SD= .26). The intervention was the Children’s Health Activity Motor Program (CHAMP; Robinson, 2017a; Robinson, 2017b). CHAMP is a theoretically-grounded intervention designed to improve motor skills and physical activity in young children. Children in the intervention group participated in CHAMP for 3 days each week (45min/session, 15 wks= 2155 min). Children in the control group made no changes to their daily schedule and engaged in outdoor recess.
Self-regulation was measured at pretest using the Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders task (HTKS; Ponitz et al., 2008), a standardized behavioral task requiring children to perform a series of behavioral inhibition tasks, yielding a response inhibition score (Cronbach’s alpha = 92; McClelland et al., 2014). The teacher-reported Emotional Regulation Checklist (ERC; Shields & Cicchetti, 1997) was used to measure emotion regulation and negativity/lability (Cronbach’s alpha=.85). Anthropometrics were measured at pre- and posttest and included height(cm), weight(lbs), waist circumference(cm), and BMI-for-age percentile (adjusted for sex, equivalent to BMIz; Must & Anderson, 2006).
Correlations were used to examine associations among (1) demographics, self-regulation, and anthropometrics at pretest, and (2) self-regulation at pretest and anthropometrics changes in the intervention group. Independent samples t-tests were used to test for differences in anthropometrics changes (post-pre) between groups (intervention vs control).
Results
Correlation analysis revealed no significant associations between self-regulation and anthropometrics at pretest, but girls had higher emotion regulation scores than boys (p= .005). The intervention group had smaller gains in waist circumference compared to the control group t(110)= 2.41, p< 0.05 (see Table 1). Lastly, self-regulation was inversely related to changes in BMI-for-age percentile for the intervention group. Children with higher pretest HTKS scores showed decreased BMI-for-age percentile (r= -.26, p< 0.05; see Table 2).
Discussion
We found that baseline self-regulation was associated with differential changes in anthropometrics, specifically changes in BMI-for-age percentile. These findings align with the work of Bub and colleagues (2016) and further suggest that self-regulation may be an important aspect of child functioning to consider in the context of healthy weight trajectories. Understanding whether and how self-regulation capacity may shape children’s responses to interventions is an important step toward developing more effective obesity prevention strategies for young children.

Authors

• Kara K. Palmer, University of Michigan
  Presenting Author

• Indica Sur, University of Michigan
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katherine M. Chinn, University of Michigan
  Non-Presenting Author

• Katherine Q. Scott-Andrews, University of Michigan
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sanne L. C. Veldman, N/A
  Non-Presenting Author

• Carissa Wengrovius, University of Michigan
  Non-Presenting Author

• Alison L. Miller, University of Michigan School of Public Health
  Non-Presenting Author

• Leah E. Robinson, University of Michigan
  Non-Presenting Author