An Exercise Intervention to Improve the Eating Patterns of Preadolescent Children at High Risk for Obesity

Children in rural communities experience significant obesity-related health disparities; they are 26%-55% more likely to be obese and less likely to have health insurance and access to weight management specialists than are their urban peers. Geographic-specific disparities in obesity may be due, in part, to variations in eating behaviors. Children in rural communities describe purchasing and consuming significantly more energy-dense, low-nutrient food items relative to their urban peers. Existing behavioral strategies for improving children's EI patterns have largely been ineffective in reducing risk for excess weight gain. The primary aim of the proposed study is to test the effects of a brief, novel strategy for improving rural children's eating behaviors. Specifically, the study aims to harness the well-documented benefits of an acute bout (20 min) of moderate physical exercise on children's executive functioning, and to see if these cognitive changes lead to better self-regulation of eating. If 20 min of moderate physical exercise is associated with observed improvements in preadolescent children's eating secondary to increases in executive functioning, these data may offer explicit targets for an obesity prevention trial in rural Oregon elementary schools.

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Key information

Conditions

Eating Behavior Behavior Behavior, Animal Feeding Behavior Self-Control Self-regulation Social Behavior

Age range

8 year–10 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Oregon

Eugene, Oregon, 97401, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

8-10 years (block recruited to ensure 50% female, 50% obese)
Rural geographic location (≥ 10 miles from a city of ≥ 40,000)
Understand English

Exclusion criteria

BMI < 5th percentile
Major medical condition, current full-threshold psychiatric diagnosis, or moderate suicide risk (e.g., plan or intent)
Current or recent use (< 3 months) of medication known to affect body weight or energy intake
Recent brain injuries that would be expected to affect neuropsychological functioning
Mobility impairments that would impede their ability to walk on a treadmill
Estimated full-scale intelligence quotient score ≤ 70
History of pregnancy
Significant food allergies that would prevent them from safely consuming the study's breakfast and lunch meals
Responses on a food preference questionnaire that suggest that they do not like (i.e., rated them below 6 on a scale from 1 to 10) at least 50% of the food items offered in the lunch test meal

Treatment and study plan

Acute moderate physical activity

Behavioral

For 20 minutes, participants will walk on a treadmill at a moderate intensity based on a combination of evidence-based and pre-determined parameters, including ratings of perceived exertion and heart rate

Primary outcomes

Energy intake

Time frame: up to 14 days

total kcal consumed during a laboratory test meal after each of two conditions

Secondary outcomes

Executive functioning

Time frame: Assessed immediately after each of the two experimental conditions administered during two separate study visits approximately 14 days of each other

executive functioning performance assessed with a 3-minute task immediately after each of two conditions

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Oregon

Other

Registry information

Official study title

An Exercise Intervention to Improve the Eating Patterns of Preadolescent Children

Important dates

Study start: 2017
Primary completion: 2021
Study completion: 2021
First posted: Aug 8, 2018
Registry last updated: Sep 15, 2022

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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