Project EAT: Eating and Attitudes in Teens

Colorado State University54 enrolled

Overview

Research suggests there is a connection between mood and weight. People who feel stressed or depressed are more likely to be overweight than people who don't have these feelings. Some individuals turn to food to cope, which can lead to gaining too much weight over time. Adolescence is an important time to understand these connections. Patterns of handling stress learned during adolescence set the stage for stress management in adulthood. This study is a randomized controlled pilot study with 60 adolescents who are at-risk for future, chronic obesity. The investigators will test if taking part in a 6-week group program to lower stress and improve mood will be helpful to teens at-risk.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Obesity Adolescent Development Stress

Interventions

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 12 YearsMax age: 17 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Age 12-17 years * At-risk for long-term obesity by virtue of current BMI (≥70th percentile for age and sex) or obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m2) in both biological parents * Good general health Exclusion Criteria: * Current full-syndrome psychiatric disorder that in the investigators' opinion would impede study compliance * Major medical problem such as type 2 diabetes * Use of medication affecting mood or body weight such as stimulants or anti-depressants * Any medical issues that could be acutely worsened by exercise such as asthma or musculoskeletal problems. * Pregnancy in females

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Feasibility of study

Rate of recruitment of eligible adolescent volunteers

Time frame: 3 years

Acceptability of program

Session attendance determined as percentage of total sessions (6) attended

Time frame: 6 weeks

Acceptability of study participation

Post-intervention acceptability ratings

Time frame: 6 weeks

Secondary Outcomes

Perceived stress

Changes in perceived stress as assessed by the 10-item version Perceived Stress Scale total score, computed as the sum of all items (range 0-40) with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress

Time frame: 6 months

Executive function

Executive function assessed with the parent version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Everyday Executive Function, with 8 subscales computed as the sum of their respected items, including inhibit (range 0-20), shift (range 0-16), emotional control (range 0-20), initiate (range 0-16), working memory (range 0-20), planning/organization (range 0-24), organization of materials (range 0-12), and monitor (range 0-16). Higher scores reflect more problematic executive dysfunction

Time frame: 6 months

Food reward sensitivity

Relative reinforcing value of food assessed with behavioral task, with the outcome being the shift point when individuals shift from choosing a palatable food reward to an alternative reward (range 20-240) with higher scores reflecting greater sensitivity to food as a reward

Time frame: 6 months

Meal intake

Measured laboratory test meal intake

Time frame: 6 months

Weight gain

Gain in BMI (kg/m2) units

Time frame: 6 months

Fat gain

Gain in body fat mass as measured by air displacement plethysmography

Time frame: 6 months

Project EAT: Eating and Attitudes in Teens

Overview

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes