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.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
40
University at Buffalo, Division of Behavioral Medicine
Buffalo, New York, United States
amount of food consumed
Time frame: Measured once with a friend and once with a mother, both occurring within a week of each other.
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