Pilot Study of Mobile Attention Training in Overweight Female Adolescents

Detailed Summary

Background: People are constantly exposed to unhealthy foods. Some studies of adults show that training attention away from unhealthy foods might reduce overeating. Researchers want to see what happens in the brain when teens train their attention away from food through a program on a smartphone. Objective: To study the relationship between eating patterns, body weight, and how the brain reacts to different images. Eligibility: Right-handed females ages 12-17 who are overweight (Body Mass Index at or above the 85th percentile for age). Design: Participants will have 6 visits over about 8 months. Visit 1: participants will be screened with: Height, weight, blood pressure, and waist size measurements Medical history Physical exam Urine sample DXA scan. Participants will lie on a table while a very small dose of x-rays passes through the body. Questions about their general health, social and psychological functioning, and eating habits Parents or guardians of minor participants will answer questions about their child s functioning and demographic data. Before visits 2-6, participants will not eat or drink for about 12 hours. These visits will include some or all of these procedures: Blood drawn MRI scan. Participants will lie on a stretcher that slides in and out of a metal cylinder in a strong magnetic field. A device will be placed over the head. Meals provided. Participants will fill out rating forms. Simple thinking tasks A cone containing magnetic field detectors placed onto the head Medical history Physical exam Urine sample Participants will be assigned to a 2-week smartphone program that involves looking at pictures. Participants will complete short tasks and answer some questions about their eating habits and mood on the smartphone.

Study Details

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Interventions