Eating and Feeding Behavior: Exploring Phenotypes and Influencing Outcomes

我们的研究小组调查了4-5岁儿童的父母接受基于公共健康家族史（FH）的肥胖风险信息的影响。这是一项随机的实验性试验，其中母亲接受对照（食品安全）信息，一般儿童肥胖信息，或儿童肥胖信息加上个性化的基于FH的风险信息。我们使用虚拟现实自助餐厅评估儿童喂养行为。我们发现，在收到FH风险信息后，母亲为孩子选择了较少的卡路里，主要是当只有母亲（而不是生物学上的父亲）的体重状况给孩子带来风险时。这项工作证明了FH信息的直接影响，因为可以很容易地在公共卫生或媒体环境中提供，对儿童健康至关重要的行为。目前正在审查的第二项分析表明，母亲自身体重史的轨迹（例如，她是否从小就超重与最近体重增加）对她感知的进食行为有影响。然而，体重轨迹并不通过对基因组因果感知的影响来施加影响。此外，父母的食物选择行为的时间模式的分析接受出版。 这项试验的一个子研究集中在母亲收到基于FH的肥胖风险信息时的内疚反应。我们调查了FH风险信息提供，内疚和父母喂养行为之间复杂的心理相互作用。我们目前正在设计一项后续的实验室试验，以更详细地解决这些过程的心理方面。在此过程中，我们进行了一项在线实验，评估父母对儿童肥胖风险的四种不同类型的因果解释（与两种对照条件相比）的认知和情感反应。对本研究的数据进行了分析。一份文件正在审查，另一份正在编写。 此外，继试点测试之后，我们在今年进行了一项实验研究，以评估与儿童肥胖风险相关的控制与遗传与家庭环境与基因与家庭环境相互作用因果信息对父母喂养反应的影响。本研究目前正在收集数据。在这项研究的基础上，我们还评估了招募父亲参与研究的途径，因为我们和我们的同事在识别和有效招募父亲参与研究方面遇到了困难。研究的两个要素的数据已经收集，目前正在分析。 在第二个研究项目中，我们对健康志愿者进行了一项调查，涉及与饮食相关的表型的识别。参与者填写了与饮食习惯、饮食和体重史、食物偏好和味觉敏感度以及遗传在饮食习惯和体重中的作用有关的调查。我们已经发表了关于表型构建的手稿，并描述了健康成年人对饮食行为遗传因素的信念。另外两个手稿正在准备在这一领域的重点是成人的信念遗传学在特定的饮食行为的作用，也涉及到父母的信念相对于基因在他们的孩子的饮食行为的作用。 最后一项研究汇集了以前工作的元素，以迭代方式构建和评估虚拟现实技术的使用，以教授个体与基因-环境相互作用在饮食行为中的作用相关的概念。

Our study team investigated the influence of receiving public health-style family history (FH)-based obesity risk information on parents of 4-5 year old children. This was a randomized, experimental trial in which mothers received either control (food safety) information, general childhood obesity information, or childhood obesity information plus personalized FH-based risk information for their child. We assessed child feeding behavior using a virtual reality buffet restaurant. We showed that mothers chose fewer calories for their child after receiving the FH risk message, primarily when it was only the mothers' (and not the biological fathers') weight status that conferred risk to the child. This work demonstrates the direct influence of FH information, as could easily be provided in public health or media contexts, on behavior that is crucial for child health. A second analysis currently under review demonstrated that the trajectory of a mothers own weight history (e.g., whether she has been overweight since childhood versus gained weight recently) is influential on her perceived feeding behavior. Weight trajectory, however, does not exert its influence through effects on genomic causal perceptions. In addition, analysis of the temporal patterns within parents' food choice behavior accepted for publication. A sub-study of this trial focused on mothers guilt reactions to receipt of FH-based obesity risk information for their child. We investigated the complex psychological interplay between FH risk information provision, guilt, and parental feeding behavior. We are currently designing a follow-up lab-based trial to address the psychological aspects of these processes in more detail. In the course of doing so, we have run an online experiment assessing parent reaction to four different types of causal explanations for children's obesity risk (versus two control conditions) on cognitive and affective reactions. Data from this study were analyzed. One paper is under review and another is in preparation. In addition, following pilot testing, in this year we run an experimental study to assess the influence of control versus genetic versus family environmental versus gene-by-family environment interaction causal information related to children's obesity risk on parents' feeding reactions. This study is currently in data collection. Layered on top of this study, we are also assessing avenues for recruitment of fathers into the study given the difficulty we and our colleagues have had in identifying and effectively recruiting fathers for research. Data for both elements of the study have been collected and are currently being analyzed. In terms of the second research project, related to the identification of eating-related phenotypes, we conducted a survey of healthy volunteer participants. Participants filled out surveys related to eating habits, diet and weight history, food preferences and taste sensitivity, and beliefs about the role of heredity in eating habits and weight. We have published manuscripts on the construction of phenotypes, and characterizing health adults' beliefs about genetic factors in eating behavior. An additional two manuscripts are in preparation in this area focusing on adult's beliefs about the role of genetics in specific eating behaviors, and also related to the beliefs of parents vis a vis the role of genes in their children's eating behaviors. A final study brings together elements of previous work to itertively built and evaluate the use of virtual reality technology to teach individuals concepts related to the role of gene-environment interaction in eating behaviors.