What is eating self-regulation?
Eating self-regulation is our ability to start and stop eating in line with internal cues of hunger and fullness instead of external cues in the environment, like large portions, seeing tasty snacks or being pressured to clear the plate.
Why is it important for children to cultivate eating regulation skills?
Childhood overweight and obesity is linked to increased risk of obesity and other chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes later in life. Eating self-regulation skills can help us to maintain a healthy body weight, and we need to learn them from young. Evidence from our GUSTO cohort shows that eating behaviours such as larger serving sizes, eating faster, and snacking when not hungry lead to increased food intake and increase the likelihood of children developing an unhealthy weight. Strategies to promote eating self-regulation skills are needed to support weight management.
How can the Appetite Toolbox promote your child’s eating self-regulation skills?
The Appetite Toolbox programme is a free six-week programme designed to help your child improve eating regulation skills. It consists of weekly interactive on-line sessions and activities to help your child build awareness of different feelings of hunger, fullness, and cravings throughout the day and make changes to the way they eat.
What does SICS hope to do?
We hope to learn whether the Appetite Toolbox can improve eating regulation skills in children who are overweight or have obesity. We are also interested in finding out how much children and caregivers like the Appetite Toolbox and whether it fits in with day-to-day life.
How can I help?
You can be part of this mission if your child is:
- Aged 6 to 13 years old
- Overweight or obese (BMI z-score ≥ 85 percentile)
- Able to read or understand English
- Not known to have genetic/syndromic obesity and/or thyroid diseases
- Currently not taking any medications known to affect appetite or metabolism.
What will I be doing?
Your child will attend four test sessions at the Human Development Research Centre, where he/she will:
- Fill out some simple questionnaires related to his/her eating behaviours, well-being, and feelings
- Complete portion size games
- Have aspects of his/her eating behaviours measured during a meal and some snacks.
- Attend six weekly Appetite Toolbox sessions where they will listen to stories and complete a series of activities and home practices.
And you will:
- Attend four test sessions with your child and complete a series of online questionnaires
- Support your child to attend the six weekly Appetite Toolbox sessions and help them put what they learn into practice!
Your child will also receive free take-home materials and 24-hour access to online supporting materials upon participating in the intervention. There are no additional costs associated with participating in this project. Reimbursement will be offered for travel and inconveniences.
To find out more, email us at appbox@sics.a-star.edu.sg, contact us at (+65) 8504 8154, or simply fill in the form below.