Hunger, Ingestive Behavior, Obesity, Food Preferences
Conditions
Brief summary
This prospective random controlled cross-over intervention studies is designed to ascertain if children feel different levels of hunger and fullness before and after eating test meals consisting of high-satiety vs. usual foods and if the child's perceived hunger/fullness is related to their salivary ghrelin levels and a variety of learning outcomes. Data are collected at the Diet and Nutrition (DAN) laboratory on repeated study days (8am - 4 pm).
Detailed description
The investigator's previous research has shown that preschoolers recognized changes in the feelings of hunger/fullness before and after a single test meal. If preschooler's feelings of hunger are associated with their ghrelin (hunger hormone) levels is not known. This study is designed to assess children's changes in feelings of hunger throughout the day (8 pm to 4 pm) and to measure both subjective feelings of hunger and salivary ghrelin levels before and after a standardized test meal (lunch). An important secondary outcome related to children's feelings of hunger is their ability to learn. Currently, there is lack of data on the direct link between perceived hunger/fullness and learning processes. This study addresses these gaps using preschooler's perceived feelings of hunger and fullness (using a published 4-point scale (Kranz S.et al. High-Protein and High-Dietary-Fiber Breakfasts Result in Equal Feelings of Fullness and Better Diet Quality in Low-Income Preschoolers Compared with Their Usual Breakfast J Nutr doi: 10.3945/jn.116.234153, 2017) and a battery of learning tests (HTKS, KRISP, Stroop-style tasks, Woodcock Johnson vocabulary test, DCCS, and curisoty measures.)
Interventions
OTHERdiet
foods with high satiation (high protein and high fiber foods) are offered to modify children's hunger and fullness ratings postprandial
OTHERusual diet
foods representing the usually provided foods at childcare are offered
Sponsors
University of Virginia
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
3 Years to 4 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* healthy children
Exclusion criteria
* no food allergies * no medications that affect behavior/learning/appetite
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| hunger/fullness 120 minutes postprandial using children's hunger scale | change on hunger/fullness scale from pre-lunch to 2-hours post lunch | hunger/fullness scale. change in children's perceived hunger and fullness on an age-appropriate scale: children respond to the question of are you hungry or full (coded hungry (1 or 2) or full (3 or 4)) followed by are you very hungry( or full) or just a little hungry (or full) coded as 1=very hungry, 2=a little hungry, 3- a little full, 4=very full, thus leading to a 4-point likert scale (from 1 to 4 with 1 being very hungry and 4 being very full). The development of the scale and its use are published by Kranz S. et al, Journal of Nutrition, 2017. |
| salivary ghrelin levels | change in salivary ghrelin from pre-lunch to 2-hours post lunch | change in salivary ghrelin levels will be measured |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| liking of food | through study completion, on average of 8 weeks | children will rate the foods provided using an age-appropriate visual (smiley faces) response coded as like(smiling face), neutral (face with straight line as mouth(, and don't like (face with tongue sticking out). |
| learning (working memory) | change from pre-lunch to 2-hours post lunch | Head Toes Knee and Shoulders test |
| systolic and diastolic blood pressure | through study completion, on average of 8 weeks | measured systolic and diastolic blood pressure |
| anthropometric data | at baseline | measured height and weight to calculate CDC BMI-for-age percentiles of body weight status |
| physical activity level | through study completion, on average of 8 weeks | children will wear accelerators while at the laboratory ( 8 pm to 4 pm) to calculate average activity level across the 4 study days |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed