Executive function and negative eating behaviors in severely obese African Americans.

Objective: African Americans are disparately impacted by severe obesity. Low socioeconomic status and psychosocial risk factors help to explain this disparity; however, few studies have examined the role of negative eating behaviors or the influence of executive function on negative eating behaviors in this population. The objective was to examine the association between executive function (ie, inhibition and set shifting) and negative eating behaviors in severely obese African Americans. Participants: Forty-seven African Americans who met criteria for severe obesity participated. Design and Setting: Data were analyzed from a cross-sectional study entitled Stress and Psychoneuroimmunological Factors in Renal Health and Disease. The mean age of participants was 45.7 years (SD=10.8) and the mean educational attainment was 13 years (SD=2.1). Main Outcome Measures: Participants completed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Task, the Stroop Color-Word Test, and the Eating Behavior Patterns Questionnaire. Results: Correlation results suggested poorer inhibition was associated with greater self-reported emotional eating and snacking on sweets. Subsequent hierarchical regression analyses confirmed the inverse relations between inhibition, emotional eating, and snacking on sweets, after controlling for age, sex, years of education, and depression. Conclusions: Reduced inhibition may be an important risk factor for negative eating behaviors and subsequent obesity in this population. Interventions aimed at increasing inhibition and self-regulation in this at-risk group are warranted.