The Nutritional Effect of Parental Use of Food as a Reward

NCT ID: NCT02354157

Last Updated: 2015-02-03

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Total Enrollment: 207 participants
• Study Classification: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2013-03-31
• Study Completion Date: 2013-07-31

Brief Summary

Control rules are common parental practices that use food as reward to encourage children to conduct parents' preferred behaviors. This field observational study aims to examine whether control rules are associated with children's increased fat, carbohydrate and total energy intake in everyday eating, and whether this effect is moderated by individual differences in sensitivity to reward, and by gender differences.

Detailed Description

Control rules are parental practices that use food as an instrumental reinforcer to encourage children to behave in a normative manner in non-food domains. Since food high in fat or sugar is usually chosen as a reinforcer for control rules, these rules may lead to children's increased preference and every day intake of food high in sugar/fat. Research propositions were examined in 207 six to twelve-year-old children (97 boys and 110 girls). Their parents reported the children's everyday dietary intake through a food frequency questionnaire, and provided information regarding the children's sensitivity to rewards as well as an indication of how frequently they enforce family control rules.

Conditions

Children's Nutrition Intake

Study Design

• Observational Model Type: COHORT
• Study Time Perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL

Interventions

no intervention

no intervention

Intervention Type: OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• participants have 6-12 years old children

Exclusion Criteria

• N.A.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 6 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 12 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

Dalhousie University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

McGill University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Laurette Dube

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Other Identifiers

SSHRC-Insight: 435-2014-1964

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id