Influence of Parents and Friends on Children and Adolescents

University at Buffalo

Status: Completed

Conditions: Healthy

Study type: Observational

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT00875576

DB# 2354

Details and patient eligibility

About

The objective of this study is to directly compare the effects of parents and friends on overweight and non-overweight children and adolescents' food intake and food selection using a cross-sectional design. Overweight and non-overweight children (5-6 year-old) and adolescents (13-14 year-old) will share a meal with a friend and with a parent on separate occasions. Participants' food selection and the amount of food they consumed will be compared across conditions.

Hypothesis 1: The investigators hypothesize that overweight children and adolescents will select more unhealthy food items and eat more in the presence of an overweight friend than when eating with a lean friend; whereas lean participants eating with an overweight friend will eat a similar amount of food than lean youth eating with a lean friend.

Hypothesis 2: The investigators predict that overweight children and adolescents (but not lean children and teens) will consume more food in the presence of their mother than in the presence of a friend.

Hypothesis 3: The investigators also predict that overweight youth's energy intake will be related to parental prompts.

Hypothesis 4: The investigators expect greater similarities in terms of food selection and food intake between adolescents and their friend than between adolescents and their parent.

Enrollment: 40 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 5 to 14 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Boys and girls ages 5-6 yrs and 12-14 yrs and their mothers
• Children must have a BMI greater than or equal to 15th percentile for their age
• Children and their mothers must have at least a moderate liking of the study foods used

Exclusion criteria

• Participants should not have any food allergies
• Participants should have no dietary restraints
• Participants should have no psychopathology that can limit food choice and alter eating
• Participants should have no developmental disabilities that can limit food choice and alter eating
• Participants cannot have a cold or upper respiratory distress that could influence taste, appetite or olfactory sensory responsiveness
• Participants cannot be on any medications that could influence taste, appetite or olfactory sensory responsiveness