Stress Reactivity Study in Adolescents
Condition: Stress; Eating Behavior
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The goal of this study was to examine the glucocorticoid and behavioral responses to a
      psychological stressor in obese African-American and non-Latino white adolescents.
      Participants were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and a control condition on
      separate days. Immediately following each condition, participants were provided with snacks
      to eat at their leisure. Reactivity was assessed via salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase area
      under the curve (AUC), and adolescents were categorized as high or low reactors.
    

Detailed description: 
      In the United States, pediatric obesity has more than tripled in the last 30 years,
      particularly among certain racial/ethnic groups including African-Americans. This disparity
      is partially attributable to greater exposure to psychological stress reported in this group
      (relative to non-Latino whites). Chronic psychological stress leads to weight gain directly
      through prolonged exposure to biological stress mediators such as cortisol and indirectly
      through behavioral pathways involving cortisol-induced increases in food consumption. An
      exciting arena of scientific advancements is focusing on identifying the specific pathways
      through which chronic stress influences eating behavior with emerging evidence to suggest
      that food intake, which is commonly increased during periods of stress, may serve as one key
      mechanism linking stress and obesity, particularly in African-American youth who are
      disproportionately exposed to chronic stress and have greater access to, and consumption of,
      energy-dense palatable foods. It is critical to advance understanding of the interplay
      between stress and food intake in understanding racial/ethnic disparities in pediatric
      obesity because stress eating represents a modifiable health behavior. That is, increased
      food intake during periods of elevated stress can be targeted for intervention in ways that
      may ameliorate the deleterious effects of stress on obesity risk. This project investigated
      the role of stress eating as a pathway linking chronic stress and obesity in African-American
      and non-Latino white adolescents.
    

Intervention name(s): Acute Laboratory Stressor; Low affect video
Intervention type(s): Behavioral; Behavioral
Intervention description(s): The TSST was 20 minutes long and consisted of a five-minute instructional period where participants listened to a pre-recorded tape; a five-minute speech preparation period; a five-minute challenging serial subtraction task; and a five-minute videotaped public speaking task in front of a panel of three evaluative, non-affirming judges dressed in white coats.; The 20-minute TSST was replaced with a 20-minute low-affect educational film screening.
Other intervention name(s): Trier Social Stress Test
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Intervention model description: Participants completed a stress condition and rest condition in random order.
Masking: Single (Participant)
Primary purpose: Diagnostic
Keywords: Trier Social Stress Test