The Girls' NEEDS Project

The Girls’ NEEDS Project

• National Institute of Health
• PI: Dr. Leann L. Birch

The Girls’ NEEDS Project (GNP) was a 10-year longitudinal project that followed girls and their biological mother and father from age 5 to age 15. Data collection started in 1996/1997 and ended in 2006/2007. The aims of this project were to chart the development of the controls of food intake among girls, with particular attention to the onset of dieting during middle childhood and adolescence.

In 2015, we recontacted the girls in this study to collect information on them at age 23-24. We were able to collect follow-up information, such as BMI and dieting behaviors, on ~80% of the original sample. The most recent publication (Balantekin et al, 2018) shows weight trajectories on these girls from age 5 to 23/24 years.

In the Press: Research shows that kids who gain weight more rapidly are more likely to have obesity as young adults.

Referenced below are several papers published from the Girls' Needs Study:

• Balantekin KN, Hohman EE, Adams EL, Marini ME, Ventura AK,  Birch LL, Savage JS. More rapid increase in BMI from age 5-15 is associated with elevated weight status at age 24 among non-Hispanic white females. Eating Behaviors. (2018)
• Balantekin KN, Birch LL, Savage JS.  Family, friend, and media factors are associated with differences in patterns of weight control behavior among adolescent girls. Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity. (2017)
• Coffman DL, Balantekin KN, Savage JS. Using Propensity Methods to Assess Causal Effects of Mothers’ Dieting Behavior on Daughters’ Early Dieting Behavior. Pediatric Obesity. (2016)
• Berger PK, Hohman EE, Marini ME, Savage JS, Birch LL.  Girls' picky eating in childhood is associated with normal weight status from ages 5 to 15 y. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (2016)
• Balantekin KN, Birch LL, Savage JS. Eating in the Absence of Hunger during Childhood Predicts Binge Eating in Adolescence. Eating Behaviors. (2016)
• Zhu Y, Ghosh D, Coffman DL, Savage JS, Birch LL. Estimating controlled direct effects of restrictivefeeding practices in the 'Early dieting in girls' study. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. (2015)
• Balantekin KN, Birch LL, Savage JS. Patterns of weight-control behavior among 15 year old girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders (2015)
• Balantekin KN, Savage JS, Marini ME, Birch LL.  Parental encouragement of dieting promotes daughters’ early dieting. Appetite. (2014)
• Rollins BY, Loken E, Savage JS, Birch LL. Maternal controlling feeding practices and girls’ inhibitory control interact to predict changes in BMI and eating the absence of hunger from 5 to 7 y.  American Journal of Clinical. (2014)