|
| EF Domain | Participant age | Measure used | Findings | Source |
|
| Childhood |
|
| | 2–5.5 yrs | Delay of gratification task | 2 yrs performance predictive of 5.5 yrs obesity when considered with emotional regulation | Graziano et al. (2010) [29, 40] |
| | 3–12 yrs | Self-control (age 3)
Delay of gratification (age 5)
Children’s Behavior Questionnaire (age 5) | Children with poorer performance at ages 3 and 5 had significantly higher BMI at all subsequent time points and had the most rapid gain in BMI 3–12 yrs | Francis and Susman (2009) [32] |
| | 6 yrs | Classroom engagement
Social behavior questionnaire | Better performance at age 6 correlated with healthier weight in 4th grade | Piché et al. (2012) [31] |
(I) Inhibitory
control | 5–15 yrs | Child behavior questionnaire | Subjects with low inhibitory control at age 7 tended to have higher BMIs at all follow-up measurements and experienced greater weight gain at age 7–15 | Anzman and Birch (2009) [35]
|
| 7–9 yrs | Go-No Go Task | Higher BMI correlated with poorer performance | Kamijo et al. (2012) [33, 41] |
| 8-9 yrs | Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (self-reporting) | Highly sedentary children who were not weight conscious and consumed high fat and high sugar snacks exhibited less inhibitory control than children who were active and consumed fruits and vegetables. EF proficiency negatively correlated with substance use, high-calorie snack food intake, and sedentary behavior, while positively associate with fruit and vegetable intake as well as out-of-school physical activity |
Riggs et al. (2012) [30, 42]
|
| | 8–11 yrs | Go-No Go and Incompatibility Tasks of Attention Assessment Battery | High impulsivity linked to higher body weight |
Pauli-Pott et al. (2010) [34] |
| |
8–12 yrs | Delay of Gratification Task (nonfood reward) | O/OW less likely to delay gratification than HW and overweight* peers | Bruce et al. (2011) [27] |
| | Go-No Go Task | O/OW had lower response accuracy for No Go component of task than healthy weight controls
| Kamijo et al. (2012) [41] |
|
| (II) Attention | 1–6 yrs | Attention span persistence | Among boys, greater persistence at age 1 associated with reduced standardized weight gain and reduced obesity risk through age 6 |
Faith and Hittner (2010) [43] |
| 4–8 yrs | Modified “Bavarian Model” for school entry examinations | O/OW females had greater prevalence of inability to focus attention than HW females (but not males) | Mond et al. (2007) [37] |
|
| (III) Reward sensitivity | 6–13 yrs | Sensitivity to punishment and sensitivity to reward questionnaire for children | Performance significantly predicts BMI indirectly through overeating | Van den Berg et al. (2011) [38] |
|
| (IV) Working memory | 8-9 yrs | Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function (self-reporting) | Children who were highly sedentary and consumed high fat and high sugar foods exhibited poorer working memory and poorer organizational skills than children considered active and who ate fruits and vegetables. EF proficiency negatively correlated with substance use, high-calorie snack food intake, and sedentary behavior, while positively associate with fruit and vegetable intake as well as out-of-school physical activity |
Riggs et al. (2012) [30, 42] |
|
| Adolescence |
|
| | 12–15 yrs | Go-No Go and Incompatibility Tasks of Attention Assessment Battery | Variability of responses and tendency for relationship of body weight and performance to be inverse indicate attentional lapses rather than distinctly inhibitory lapses |
Pauli-Pott et al. (2010) [34] |
| | 12–15 yrs | Stop Signal Task | O/OW have less inhibitory control than HW | Nederkoorn et al. (2006) [44] |
| | 13–16 yrs | Iowa Gambling Task | O/OW performed significantly worse than HW controls |
Verdejo-García et al. (2010) [45] |
| (I) Inhibitory control | 12–21 yrs | Go-No Go Test
Stroop Task
Five-Digit Test
Computerized Cognitive Test Battery | O/OW showed significantly more false positive responses and shorter reaction time than HW; significant association between disinhibition, OFC volume, and BMI | Batterink et al. (2010) [46]; Maayan et al. (2011) [12]; Verdejo-García et al. (2010) [45] |
| | 7.5–15 yrs | Go-No Go Task
Interference task | High impulsivity predicted successful weight loss in adolescents |
Pauli-Pott et al. (2010) [47] |
| | 10–14 yrs | The stop task
Circle drawing task
Opposite worlds task
Maudsley Index of Childhood Delay Aversionand Door-Opening Task | Association was found with overweight children and less efficient inhibitory control | Verbeken et al. (2009) [48] |
| | 12–17 yrs | Letter-Number Sequencing
Stroop and Iowa Gambling Task | Greater improvement in cognitive inhibitory control skills was associated with greater reductions in BMI | Delgado-Rico et al. (2012) [49] |
|
| (II) Attention/Mental flexibility | 12–19 yrs | Trail making test
Wisconsin card sorting test
Computerized Cognitive Test Battery
Five-Digit Test-Switching
Color-Word Interference Test Stroop
D2 Attention Endurance Test | O/OW performed significantly worse than HW on all tasks; BMI inversely related to Stroop-switching performance for O/OW subjects
| Lokken et al. (2009) [50]; Cserjesi et al. (2007) [51]; Verdejo-García et al. (2010) [45]; Delgado-Rico et al. (2012) [52]
|
|
| (III) Reward sensitivity | 12–15 yrs | Door-Opening Task | O/OW were more sensitive to reward and kept gambling longer than HW | Nederkoorn et al. (2006) [44] |
|
| (IV) Working memory | 13–21 yrs | Working memory index of WRAML and Letter-Number sequencing | O/OW performed worse than HW controls | Maayan et al. (2011) [12] |
|
