Promoting Child Inhibitory Control Skills around Food

描述(申请人提供)：今天的环境提供了许多享乐刺激，促进了不健康的能量密集型休闲食品的消费。人们普遍认识到，需要一种系统的方法来处理这个复杂的问题。然而，个人，特别是儿童，也需要发展个人能力来应对诱人的刺激，并抑制对这些高能量食物的反应。因此，在这项建议中，我们将重点加强更高级别的执行功能，特别是抑制控制，这是抵消冲动行为所必需的，对成长和发展至关重要。我们选择专注于在学龄前儿童中发展抑制控制，因为执行功能/抑制控制和饮食习惯在这个时候正在发展。在学龄前儿童中，抑制性控制是通过基于社交游戏的课程培养出来的，并被发现与更好的上学准备和学习技能有关。因此，这项提议的目标是调整以游戏为基础的课程，即思维计划的工具，以促进学龄前儿童更强的抑制控制技能，并减少高能量零食的消耗。在第一阶段，我们将在4至6岁的儿童中开发和试点基于儿童抑制控制游戏的计划(CHIC PLAY)。我们将调整心智课程工具中使用的学习工具，并采用自然游戏场景、图画(视觉支持)和游戏来教孩子抑制他们对高能量零食的反应。一旦开发出来，我们将测试别致游戏在学龄前环境中的效果。还将组织家长小组，支持在家中采用这些技能。感兴趣的主要结果是卡路里摄入量和年龄和性别调整后的每日卡路里摄入量的百分比，通过在没有饥饿自由获取程序和零食时间程序的情况下进食来衡量。抑制性控制技能也将通过执行功能任务来衡量。这项计划的可行性和可接受性将通过家长、孩子和教师的调查来确定。本研究的目的是通过促进抑制控制或脉冲控制的发展，开发一种新的创新方法来减少高能量密集型休闲食品的消耗。如果成功，该项目有可能在治疗和预防儿童肥胖症方面发挥作用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): 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 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.