Associations Between Household Chaos and Appetitive Traits in Preschoolers and Preadolescents

Background: Previous research suggests household chaos may relate to greater childhood obesity risk, though mechanisms are unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the cross-sectional associations between household chaos and appetitive traits in 92 preschoolers (Study A) and 184 preadolescents (Study B). Methods: Parents completed the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale and the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Eating in the absence of hunger (EAH) was assessed in the lab. Data were collected at baseline and either a six-month (Study A) or one-year (Study B) follow-up. Intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were computed to assess the stability of household chaos and appetitive traits. Associations of household chaos with appetitive traits were examined via linear mixed-effect models, adjusting for child age, sex, and annual household income. Sensitivity analyses further adjusted for child nighttime sleep duration, number of children in the household, and parenting style. Results: Household chaos (preschoolers: 6-month ICC = 0.93; preadolescents: 1-year ICC = 0.85) and child appetitive traits (preschoolers ICC: 0.56-0.77; preadolescents ICC: 0.51-0.74) showed moderate to high stability. In both cohorts, chaos was positively associated with emotional overeating (preschoolers: standardized beta coefficient β_s= 0.18, 95% CI: 0.00, 0.35; preadolescents: β_s= 0.19, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.31). In preadolescents, more household chaos was related to higher food responsiveness (β_s= 0.21, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.32) and lower satiety responsiveness (SR, β_s = -0.14, 95% CI: -0.25, -0.02). Chaos was positively related to SR in preschoolers (β_s = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.03, 0.37); however, this association became statistically non-significant after adjusting for sleep. No associations were found for enjoyment of food, emotional undereating, and EAH. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that household chaos may contribute to childhood obesity by affecting children’s appetitive traits.