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.

Public Health 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.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Type
Research Project--Cooperative Agreements (U01)
Project #
5U01DK088380-03
Application #
8134838
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHL1-CSR-H (S1))
Program Officer
Hunter, Christine
Project Start
2009-09-21
Project End
2014-08-31
Budget Start
2011-09-01
Budget End
2012-08-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$625,634
Indirect Cost
Name
State University of New York at Buffalo
Department
Pediatrics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
038633251
City
Buffalo
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14260
O'Neill, Jessica; Daniel, Tinuke Oluyomi; Epstein, Leonard H (2016) Episodic future thinking reduces eating in a food court. Eat Behav 20:9-13
Thrailkill, Eric A; Epstein, Leonard H; Bouton, Mark E (2015) Effects of inter-food interval on the variety effect in an instrumental food-seeking task. Clarifying the role of habituation. Appetite 84:43-53
Sze, Yan Yan; Daniel, Tinuke Oluyomi; Kilanowski, Colleen K et al. (2015) Web-Based and Mobile Delivery of an Episodic Future Thinking Intervention for Overweight and Obese Families: A Feasibility Study. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 3:e97
Daniel, Tinuke Oluyomi; Said, Michele; Stanton, Christina M et al. (2015) Episodic future thinking reduces delay discounting and energy intake in children. Eat Behav 18:20-4
Epstein, Leonard H; Kilanowski, Colleen; Paluch, Rocco A et al. (2015) Reducing variety enhances effectiveness of family-based treatment for pediatric obesity. Eat Behav 17:140-3
Czajkowski, Susan M; Powell, Lynda H; Adler, Nancy et al. (2015) From ideas to efficacy: The ORBIT model for developing behavioral treatments for chronic diseases. Health Psychol 34:971-82
Lin, Henry; Epstein, Leonard H (2014) Living in the moment: effects of time perspective and emotional valence of episodic thinking on delay discounting. Behav Neurosci 128:12-9
Epstein, Leonard H; Jankowiak, Noelle; Lin, Henry et al. (2014) No food for thought: moderating effects of delay discounting and future time perspective on the relation between income and food insecurity. Am J Clin Nutr 100:884-90
Bouton, Mark E; Todd, Travis P; Miles, Olivia W et al. (2013) Within- and between-session variety effects in a food-seeking habituation paradigm. Appetite 66:10-9
Daniel, Tinuke Oluyomi; Stanton, Christina M; Epstein, Leonard H (2013) The future is now: comparing the effect of episodic future thinking on impulsivity in lean and obese individuals. Appetite 71:120-5

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