The Effect of Snack Consumption on Energy Intake in Preschoolers

• Sponsor: The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Other)
• Overall Status: Active, not recruiting
• CT.gov ID: NCT02207049
• Collaborator: (none)
• Enrollment: 20
• Location: 1
• Arms: 3
• Anticipated Duration (Months): 100
• Patients Per Site Per Month: 0.2

Study Details

Study Description

Brief Summary

The purpose of this pilot study will be to examine the influence of providing snacks on consumption of overall energy intake in children aged 2-5 years in the Early Learning Center (ELC) at the University of Tennessee.

Condition or Disease	Intervention/Treatment	Phase
Energy Intake; Snacks; Children, Preschool	Behavioral: Snacking; Behavioral: No Snacking	N/A

Detailed Description

Providing snacks to children is widely recommended for appetite regulation and assisting with meeting nutritional guidelines.1 Currently, snacks contribute a larger portion of dietary intake in children than in previous years.2,3 Additionally, observational research has found that self-reported, low-nutrient-dense snack consumption, has increased among preschoolers (ages 2-to-6 years) over the past 20 years, leading to an increase of total daily energy intake.3 However, no experimental studies examining the influence of snack intake on energy consumption in children have been conducted.2 Therefore, at this time it is not clear how snacks impact appetite regulation or energy intake, especially in young children.

Thus, the purpose of this pilot study will be to examine the influence of providing snacks on consumption of overall energy intake in children aged 2-5 years in the Early Learning Center (ELC) at the University of Tennessee. Children will be provided with 3-to-5 ad libitum eating occasions over the course of a day for three sessions. To test the effects of providing snacks to preschoolers on consumption of food throughout the day, the food will be provided in three ways in the three different sessions: 1) children will be provided three meals (TM); 2) children will be provided three meals and two snacks, with total amount of food provided in the day the same as TM (M+S); and 3) children will be provided three meals and two snacks with total amount provided in the meals equal to TM and total amount provided in the snacks equal to M+S (TM+S).

Primary Hypothesis:

1. Energy consumed from food and beverages will be greatest during the TM+S session, followed by M+S, and then TM.

Study Design

• Study Type: Interventional
• Anticipated Enrollment: 20 participants
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)
• Primary Purpose: Other
• Official Title: The Effect of Snack Consumption on Energy Intake in Preschoolers
• Actual Study Start Date: Sep 1, 2014
• Actual Primary Completion Date: Dec 31, 2018
• Anticipated Study Completion Date: Dec 31, 2022

Arms and Interventions

Arm	Intervention/Treatment
Active Comparator: Three Meals (TM) Preschoolers will be provided their caloric needs within three meals.	Behavioral: No Snacking; Caloric needs will be provided to preschoolers within three meals
Active Comparator: Meal plus Snack (M+S) Preschoolers will be provided three meals and two snacks, with total amount of food provided in the day the same as the Three Meal (TM) arm.	Behavioral: Snacking; Snacks will be provided to preschoolers, either as part of total caloric needs or above total caloric needs
Active Comparator: Three Meal plus Snack (TM+S) Preschoolers will be provided three meals and two snacks with total amount provided in the meals equal to the Three Meal (TM) arm and total amount provided in the snacks equal to Meal plus Snacks (M+S) arm.	Behavioral: Snacking; Snacks will be provided to preschoolers, either as part of total caloric needs or above total caloric needs

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

1. Total calories of the food and beverages consumed. [3 weeks]

   Total calories of food and beverage consumed by participants over the 3-week study (with 1 day of food and beverage per week) period will be determined by subtracting pre- and post-consumption weight of the food and beverage provided and multiplied by the energy density of each respective food and beverage.

Eligibility Criteria

Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 3 Years to 5 Years
• Sexes Eligible for Study: All
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Inclusion Criteria:

• 3 -to- 5 years of age

• enrolled at the Early Learning Center for the full day program

• have guardian consent to participate

• like the foods served

Exclusion Criteria:

• have allergies or intolerances to the foods being served

• not able to use a spoon

• did not attend all feeding sessions

Contacts and Locations

Locations

	Site	City	State	Country	Postal Code
1	Healthy Eating and Activity Laboratory	Knoxville	Tennessee	United States	37996

Sponsors and Collaborators

• The University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Investigators

• Principal Investigator: Hollie A Raynor, PhD, RD, LDN, University of Tennesseem Knoxville

Study Documents (Full-Text)

None provided.

More Information

Publications

• Allen RE, Myers AL. Nutrition in toddlers. Am Fam Physician. 2006 Nov 1;74(9):1527-32. Review.
• Ford CN, Slining MM, Popkin BM. Trends in dietary intake among US 2- to 6-year-old children, 1989-2008. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013 Jan;113(1):35-42. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2012.08.022.
• Smith-Petersen MN, Larson CB, Cochran W. Local chemotherapy with primary closure of septic wounds by means of drainage and irrigation cannulae : M. N. Smith-Petersen MD (1886-1953), Carroll B. Larson MD, Williams Cochran MD . The 12th president of the AAOS 1943 (MNS-P). Clin Orthop Relat Res. 2008 Jan;466(1):104-12. doi: 10.1007/s11999-007-0023-4.

• Responsible Party: Hollie Raynor, Professor, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02207049
• Other Study ID Numbers: 9564 B
• First Posted: Aug 1, 2014
• Last Update Posted: Mar 17, 2022
• Last Verified: Mar 1, 2022

Study Results

No Results Posted as of Mar 17, 2022