The Relationship between Executive Functions and Body Weight: Sex as a Moderating Variable

This study explores the interplay between executive functions and body weight, examining both the influence of biological factors, specifically sex, and methodological issues, such as the choice between Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) as the primary anthropometric measure. A total...

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Published inBehavioral sciences Vol. 14; no. 3; p. 258
Main Authors Ilardi, Ciro Rosario, Monda, Antonietta, Iavarone, Alessandro, Chieffi, Sergio, Casillo, Maria, Messina, Antonietta, Villano, Ines, Federico, Giovanni, Alfano, Vincenzo, Salvatore, Marco, Sapuppo, Walter, Monda, Vincenzo, Monda, Marcellino, Di Maio, Girolamo, La Marra, Marco
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 01.03.2024
MDPI
Subjects
Body Mass Index
Body weight
Brain research
Chronic illnesses
Compensation and benefits
Decision making
Diabetes
Executive function
executive functions
Executives
Gender differences
Health care
Memory
moderation analysis
Neurophysiology
Neuropsychology
Obesity
Quantitative psychology
sex differences
Variables
Variance analysis
waist circumference
Womens health
Body Mass Index
moderation analysis
executive functions
waist circumference
obesity
sex differences
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Summary:This study explores the interplay between executive functions and body weight, examining both the influence of biological factors, specifically sex, and methodological issues, such as the choice between Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) as the primary anthropometric measure. A total of 386 participants (222 females, mean age = 45.98 years, SD = 17.70) were enrolled, from whom sociodemographic (sex, age, years of formal education) and anthropometric (BMI and WC) data were collected. Executive functions were evaluated using the Frontal Assessment Battery-15 (FAB15). The results showed the increased effectiveness of WC over BMI in examining the relationships between executive functions, sex differences, and body weight. In particular, this study revealed that there was a significant moderating effect of sex at comparable levels of executive functioning. Specifically, women with higher executive performance had lower WCs than their male counterparts, suggesting that executive function has a greater impact on WC in women than in men. Our findings highlight the importance of conducting more in-depth investigations of the complex relationship between cognitive deficits and weight gain, considering confounding variables of behavioral, psychobiological, and neurophysiological origin.
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These authors contributed equally to this work.
ISSN:2076-328X
2076-328X
DOI:10.3390/bs14030258