Influence of Parents and Friends on Children and Adolescents

Completed

Conditions studied: Healthy

In brief

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.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00875576

Run by

University at Buffalo

People needed

40

Starts

2009-01-01

Expected to finish

2010-06-01

Last updated by the study team

2010-06-28

Who can join

Age: 5 and older, up to 14. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• 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

You may not qualify if…

• 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

Where it is running

• University at Buffalo, Division of Behavioral Medicine — Buffalo, New York, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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