The association between childhood adiposity and appetite assessed using the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire and Baby Eating Behavior Questionnaire: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Summary This systematic review and meta‐analysis aimed to quantify associations between Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) and Baby Eating Behavior Questionnaire (BEBQ) appetitive traits (food approach: Food Responsiveness [FR], Enjoyment of Food [EF], Emotional Overeating [EOE], and Desire to Drink [DD]; food avoidant: Satiety Responsiveness [SR], Slowness in Eating [SE], Emotional Undereating [EUE], Food Fussiness [FF]) and measures of child adiposity. Searches of six databases up to February 2019 identified 72 studies (CEBQ, n = 67; BEBQ, n = 5), and 27 met the meta‐analysis criteria. For cross‐sectional studies reporting unadjusted correlations with body mass index z ‐scores (BMIz) ( n = 19), all traits were associated with BMIz in expected directions (positive: FR, EF, EOE, and DD; negative: SR, SE, EUE, and FF). Pooled estimates ranged from r = 0.22 (FR) to r = −0.21 (SR). For cross‐sectional studies reporting regression coefficients ( n = 10), three traits (FR, EF, and EOE) associated positively, and three traits (SR, SE, and EUE) negatively, with BMIz ( β = −0.31 [SR] to β = 0.22 [FR]). Eleven studies reported prospective relationships from appetite to adiposity measures for six scales (positive: FR, EF, EOE, and DD; negative: SR and SE). Five studies reported relationships from adiposity measures to appetite for five traits (positive: FR, EF, and EOE; negative: SR). All BEBQ traits were consistently cross‐sectionally associated with adiposity measures. Overall, CEBQ/BEBQ‐assessed appetitive traits show consistent cross‐sectional relationships with measures of child adiposity.