Promoting Child Inhibitory Control Skills Around Food

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Obesity
• Interventions: Behavioral: CHild Inhibitory Control (CHIC) Play; Behavioral: Attention control

• Registration Number: NCT02077387
• Lead Sponsor: University of California, San Diego

Brief Summary

Today's environment provides many hedonic stimuli that promote consumption of unhealthy energy-dense snack foods. It is widely recognized that a systems approach is required to deal with this complex problem. However, individuals, particularly children, also need to develop the personal capacity to deal with tempting stimuli and inhibit responses to these energy-dense foods. Therefore in this proposal, we will focus on enhancing higher level executive functions, particularly inhibitory control, which is needed to counterbalance impulsive behavior and is crucial for growth and development. We have chosen to focus on developing inhibitory control in preschool-age children because executive functioning/inhibitory control and eating habits are developing at this time. Among preschool-age children, inhibitory control is fostered through social play-based curriculums and has been found to be related to greater school readiness and academic skills. Therefore, the goal of this proposal is to adapt a play-based curriculum, the Tools of the Mind program, to promote greater inhibitory control skills in preschool children and decrease consumption of energy-dense snack foods. In Phase I, we will develop and pilot a Child Inhibitory Control Play-based Program (CHIC Play) among children age 4- to 6-years old. We will adapt the learning tools used in the Tools of the Mind curriculum and employ naturalistic play scenarios, drawings (visual support), and games to teach children to inhibit their responses to energy-dense snack foods. Once developed, we will test the efficacy of CHIC Play in the preschool setting. Parent groups will also be conducted to support the adoption of these skills at home. The primary outcome of interest is caloric intake and age- and gender-adjusted percent of daily caloric intake as measured by the Eating in the Absence of Hunger (EAH) free access procedure and a snack time procedure. Inhibitory control skills will also be measured using executive functioning tasks. Feasibility and acceptability of this program will be determined from parent, child, and teacher surveys. The purpose of this study is to develop a new innovative method of decreasing energy-dense snack food consumption by promoting the development of inhibitory control or impulse control. If successful, this program has the potential to play a role in the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2014-02-27
• Study First Submitted QC: 2014-02-28
• Study First Posted: 2014-03-04
• Study Start: 2014-06
• Primary Completion: 2015-11
• Study Completion: 2015-11
• Status Verified: 2016-02
• Last Update Submitted: 2016-02-02
• Last Update Posted: 2016-02-03

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 72

Inclusion Criteria

• 1. child age between 4 and 6 years
• 2. child BMI ≥5th %ile (Children below this BMI percentile may have an underlying biological mechanism that influences eating behaviors.)
• 3. active parental consent

Exclusion Criteria

• 1. child with major psychological diagnosis, developmental delay, or other medical disorder that affects weight, eating behaviors, and cognition
• 2. food allergies to the foods used in the study
• 3. plans to leave the preschool within the timeframe of the study

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
CHild Inhibitory Control Play (CHIC) Play	CHild Inhibitory Control (CHIC) Play	CHIC Play paradigm: Children will exposed to several play paradigms that enhance inhibitory control around snack foods. Children will receive the intervention in the preschool setting over a 3 week period.
Attention control	Attention control	Children will receive information regarding other healthy behaviors: brushing teeth, sunscreen use, being physically active

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Caloric intake in the Eating in the Absence of Hunger (EAH) paradigm	week 4	Eating in the Absence of Hunger paradigm: Children in the full state will be presented with 8 snack foods and allowed to eat ad libitum for 10 minutes. Caloric intake and age- and gender-adjusted percent of daily caloric intake will be assessed.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Executive functioning	week 4	Several tasks of Executive functioning will be assessed including a go/no-go task, backward digit span, and delay of gratification

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of California, San Diego; 🇺🇸 San Diego, California, United States