https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-H-Neyland2022EtAl

Higgins Neyland, M. K., Shank, L. M., Lavender, J. M., Burke, N. L., Rice, A., Gallagher-Teske, J... Tanofsky-Kraff, M. (2022). Examination of the interaction between parental military-status and race among non-Hispanic Black and non-Hispanic White adolescents with overweight/obesity. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, jsac008. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsac008

Using data from overweight Black and White adolescents, this study examined disordered eating (e.g., diet restraint, body dissatisfaction), internalizing difficulties (e.g., anxiety, social withdrawal), and externalizing difficulties (e.g., conflict with others). Differences between militarydependents and civilians were examined. Data were collected from multiple studies (including treatment and non-treatment studies) between 1999-2020, with a sample of 514 adolescents (76.3% civilian). Selfreporting on disordered eating was collected from adolescents, while parents reported on adolescents’ internalizing and externalizing difficulties. The analyses also accounted for adolescents’ sex, body mass index (BMI), and study participation (i.e., treatment vs. non-treatment). Military status was generally related to poorer outcomes for Black adolescents (e.g., Black military dependents averaged more disordered eating than Black civilians).

https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsac008

Physical health
Children
Mental health
Youth

Multiple branches

Active Duty
Veteran

Child of a service member or veteran
Civilian

School age (6 - 12 yrs)
Adolescence (13 - 17 yrs)

Cross sectional study
Quantitative Study
Secondary Analysis

Higgins Neyland, M. K., Shank, Lisa M., Lavender, Jason M., Burke, Natasha L., Rice, Alexander, Gallagher-Teske, Julia, Markos, Bethelhem, Faulkner, Loie M., Djan, Kweku G., Kwarteng, Esther A., LeMay-Russell, Sarah, Parker, Megan N., Schvey, Natasha A., Sbrocco, Tracy, Wilfley, Denise E., Ford, Brian, Ford, Caitlin, Haigney, Mark, Klein, David A., Olsen, Cara H., Quinlan, Jeffrey, Jorgensen, Sarah, Brady, Sheila, Shomaker, Lauren B., Yanovski, Jack A., Tanofsky-Kraff, Marian

Adolescent military-dependents experience distinct risk and protective factors, which may necessitate additional clinical considerations. In civilian youth, overweight/obesity is associated with eating, internalizing, and externalizing difficulties, with some studies reporting more difficulties among non-Hispanic White (vs. non-Hispanic Black) youth. It is unknown if these disparities exist among adolescent military-dependents, or between civilian and military-dependent youth. Non-Hispanic Black (187 civilian, 38 military-dependent) and non-Hispanic White (205 civilian, 84 military-dependent) adolescents with overweight/obesity (14.7 ± 1.6 years; 73.9% girls; body mass index adjusted for age and sex 1.9 ± 0.5) completed a disordered-eating interview; parents completed a measure assessing their child’s internalizing and externalizing difficulties. Multiple linear regressions examined parental military-status as a moderator of the relationship of participant race with eating, internalizing, and externalizing difficulties.  White civilian youth with overweight/obesity reported significantly greater disordered-eating than their Black peers (p < .001); there were no other significant racial differences. In all regressions, parental military-status significantly moderated the association between race and each dependent variable (ps < .047). Black military-dependents (vs. civilians) reported more disordered-eating and internalizing difficulties (ps = .01). White military-dependents (vs. civilians) reported fewer externalizing difficulties (p = .01). Black adolescent military-dependents with overweight/obesity may experience more eating and internalizing difficulties (vs. civilians), a pattern not observed among White participants. Future work should examine if being a military-dependent and a historically marginalized racial group member accounts for these findings. Such data may inform providers of youth with intersecting minority identities.

Oxford Academic

Article
REACH Publication

Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR), Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, MKHN
Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR), Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, LMS
Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), LMS
Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR), Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, JML
Department of Psychology, Fordham University, NLB
Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR), Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, AR
Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR), Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, JGT
Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR), Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, BM
Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), LMF
Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), KGD
Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), EAK
Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), SLR
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, SLR
Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), MNP
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, MNP
Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), NAS
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, NAS
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, TS
Washington University School of Medicine, DEW
Department of Family Medicine, BF
Department of Family Medicine, Fort Belvoir Community Hospital, CF
Military Cardiovascular Outcomes Research (MiCOR), Department of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, MH
Department of Family Medicine, DAK
Department of Pediatrics, DAK
Preventative Medicine and Biometrics Department, CHO
Department of Family Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, JQ
Department of Family Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, SJ
Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), SB
Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Colorado State University, LBS
Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), JAY
Section on Growth and Obesity, Program in Developmental Endocrinology and Genetics, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institutes of Health (NIH), MTK
Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, MTK