Do maternal ratings of appetite in infants predict later Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire scores and body mass index?

In a longitudinal birth cohort maternal ratings of childrenʹs appetites made at 6 weeks, 12 months and 5–6 years were correlated with one another and with subscales from the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) at 5–6 years, and body mass index (BMI) at 6–8 years. Statistically significant correlations were found between the childrenʹs appetite ratings. Appetite ratings in infancy were also correlated with the CEBQ subscale scores at 5–6 years to a limited extent, but not with the BMI at 6–8 years. The appetite rating at 5–6 years and three of the CEBQ subscales were independently associated with BMI. Children with higher levels of Emotional Over-Eating and Desire to Drink had higher BMIs, and children with higher levels of Satiety Responsiveness had lower BMIs. These results provide further evidence that there are concurrent associations between appetite ratings in childhood and BMI but suggest that appetite ratings in infancy are related only weakly to later appetite measures and do not predict later BMI.