Translating Habituation Research to Interventions for Pediatric Obesity

描述(由申请人提供)： 在一系列研究中，我们已经表明，儿童和成年人习惯于或表现出逐渐减少的反应，反复呈现嗅觉、味觉或嗅觉和味觉食物提示的组合。习惯化的速度与一顿饭的能量摄入量成反比，肥胖的儿童和成年人习惯于比苗条的同龄人更慢，消耗更多的食物。习惯化是学习的一种基本形式，在许多反应系统中都能观察到。我们认为，习惯化是一个重要的过程，它在一顿饭和一顿饭之间调节食物调节。然而，还没有针对儿童的研究将关于食物习惯化的基础研究转化为临床干预措施。这项中心拨款是一项系统性的尝试，旨在将我们实验室关于食物习惯化的基础研究转化为对超重儿童的有效临床干预。在第一阶段(01-02年度)，我们将进行一系列的实验室研究，以评估刺激的专一性和多样性，以及同时减少高能量密度食物的种类，而增加低能量密度食物的种类，对短期(餐内)和长期(跨餐)习服的影响。第二阶段(2002年至2003年)旨在实施一系列实地研究，扩展第一阶段的基础研究，并确定减少品种的最佳间隔，以促进在自然环境中对高能量密度食物的长期适应。第三阶段(04-05年)旨在为儿童开发和试行基于家庭的行为干预，将第二阶段的研究结果纳入临床干预。相关习惯化是一个理论丰富的行为科学领域，对饱腹感和能量摄入调节非常重要。拟议的研究将把对超重青少年的习惯化研究转化为分级结构中的临床干预，从实验室研究到对照实地研究再到临床干预的发展。这一基础科学的翻译可能对儿童肥胖症的治疗具有重要意义。(摘要结束)

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In a series of studies we have shown that children and adults habituate, or show a gradual reduction in responding, to repeated presentations of olfactory, gustatory, or the combination of olfactory and gustatory food cues. The rate of habituation is inversely related to energy intake in a meal, and obese children and adults habituate slower than leaner peers and consume more food. Habituation is a basic form of learning that is observed in many response systems. We believe that habituation is an important process that mediates food regulation during a meal and across meals. However, there has been no research in children that translates basic research on habituation to food into clinical interventions. This center grant is a systematic attempt to translate basic research from our laboratory on habituation to food into effective clinical interventions for overweight children. In the first phase (Years 01-02) we will implement a series of laboratory studies to assess the effects of stimulus specificity and variety, and the simultaneous reduction of variety for high energy density foods while increasing the variety of low energy density foods on short (within meal) and long-term (across meal) habituation. The second phase (Years 02-03) is designed to implement a series of field studies that will extend basic research from the first phase as well as define the optimal interval for reducing variety to facilitate long-term habituation to high energy density foods in the natural environment. The third phase (Years 04-05) is designed to develop and pilot test a family-based behavioral intervention for children that incorporates findings from Phase 2 into a clinical intervention. RELEVANCE Habituation is a theoretically rich behavioral science area that is important to satiation and energy intake regulation. The proposed research will translate research on habituation to clinical interventions for overweight youth in a hierarchical structure, progressing from laboratory studies to controlled field studies to the development of clinical interventions. The translation of this basic science may have important implications for the treatment of pediatric obesity. (End of Abstract)