Eating Behaviors Among Weight-Discordant Siblings

NCT ID: NCT01598389

Last Updated: 2012-05-15

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 94 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2008-10-31
• Study Completion Date: 2011-05-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study was to compare weight-discordant siblings in eating in the absence of hunger, caloric compensation, and the quality of their habitual diet. The investigator hypothesized that, within families and controlling for age differences, overweight and obese siblings would show greater eating in the absence of hunger, poorer caloric compensation, and poorer diet quality (e.g., increased percent of energy from fat and caloric beverages) compared to normal-weight siblings.

Detailed Description

The study used a discordant sibling design to compare putative obesity-promoting eating traits among siblings, 5-12 years, who were raised in the same household, but were discordant for weight status (normal-weight: BMI-for-age between 5 and less than the 85th percentile; overweight/obese: BMI-for-age greater or equal to the 85th percentile). Forty-seven pairs of same-sex siblings (boys and girls) were recruited from the greater Philadelphia area to participate in a 4-week study during which their eating behaviors and body composition were assessed. The study tested the hypotheses that overweight/obese, compared to normal-weight, siblings exhibit 1) a weaker ability to compensate for calories, 2) a greater susceptibility towards eating in the absence of hunger, and 3) habitual dietary intakes that favor increased dietary energy density (kcal/g) and increased %energy derived from fat and caloric beverages. The use of a behavioral genetics design to study eating phenotypes among siblings is a unique approach to elucidate shared and non-shared environmental influences that can contribute to variations in weight status during childhood.

Conditions

Obesity

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Primary Study Purpose: PREVENTION
• Blinding Strategy: SINGLE

Study Groups

Low energy-dense preload

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Feeding study

Intervention Type: OTHER

In a crossover design, siblings were served dinner once a week for 3 weeks. Across conditions, siblings were served the same dinner, but, 25 minutes before dinner, they either consumed in full or did not consume one of two preloads that varied in energy density. On the day when no preload was consumed, eating in the absence of hunger was assessed after dinner and defined as the number of calories consumed from snacks. Habitual dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls.

High energy-dense preload

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Feeding study

Intervention Type: OTHER

In a crossover design, siblings were served dinner once a week for 3 weeks. Across conditions, siblings were served the same dinner, but, 25 minutes before dinner, they either consumed in full or did not consume one of two preloads that varied in energy density. On the day when no preload was consumed, eating in the absence of hunger was assessed after dinner and defined as the number of calories consumed from snacks. Habitual dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls.

No preload

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Feeding study

Intervention Type: OTHER

In a crossover design, siblings were served dinner once a week for 3 weeks. Across conditions, siblings were served the same dinner, but, 25 minutes before dinner, they either consumed in full or did not consume one of two preloads that varied in energy density. On the day when no preload was consumed, eating in the absence of hunger was assessed after dinner and defined as the number of calories consumed from snacks. Habitual dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls.

Interventions

Feeding study

In a crossover design, siblings were served dinner once a week for 3 weeks. Across conditions, siblings were served the same dinner, but, 25 minutes before dinner, they either consumed in full or did not consume one of two preloads that varied in energy density. On the day when no preload was consumed, eating in the absence of hunger was assessed after dinner and defined as the number of calories consumed from snacks. Habitual dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour dietary recalls.

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• same-sex;
• weight discordant (normal-weight vs. overweight/obese);
• meet age criteria;
• like most foods that were served in the study.

Exclusion Criteria

• serious medical conditions or medication use known to affect appetite, food intake and body weight;
• developmental or psychiatric conditions;
• food allergies or nutrient intolerances (including lactose intolerance).

• Minimum Eligible Age: 5 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 12 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

University of Pennsylvania

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Tanja Kral

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Tanja V.E. Kral, Ph.D.

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of Pennsylvania

Locations

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Countries

United States

References

Kral TV, Allison DB, Birch LL, Stallings VA, Moore RH, Faith MS. Caloric compensation and eating in the absence of hunger in 5- to 12-y-old weight-discordant siblings. Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 Sep;96(3):574-83. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.037952. Epub 2012 Aug 1.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 22854400 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

http://www2.niddk.nih.gov/

National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Other Identifiers

K01DK078601

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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