Influence of Parents and Friends on Children and Adolescents

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.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Conditions

Healthy Body Weight Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Obesity Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

5 year–14 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Observational

Primary location

University at Buffalo, Division of Behavioral Medicine

Buffalo, New York, 14214, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

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

Treatment and study plan

Primary outcomes

amount of food consumed

Time frame: Measured once with a friend and once with a mother, both occurring within a week of each other.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University at Buffalo

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start: 2009
Primary completion: 2010
Study completion: 2010
First posted: Apr 3, 2009
Registry last updated: Jun 28, 2010

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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.

Completed