Black Family Eating Behaviors Study
Condition: Cancer; Obesity
MeSH terms: Obesity
Study type: Observational

Summary: 
      Despite broad awareness of the role that diet plays in increasing obesity risk, adherence to
      public health recommendations for maintaining healthy eating is low. Insights gained from
      weight loss intervention trials find that trial participants report difficulty in restricting
      calories, dissatisfaction with the pace of weight loss, inability to control eating, low
      palatability of recommended foods and strong food cravings. Indeed, recent systematic reviews
      provide empirical support that these subjective experiences that trial participants describe
      likely represent eating-related traits or phenotypes . While amassing evidence supports
      individual variation in these eating-related traits, to date there has been no systematic
      effort to characterize robust eating-related phenotypes. Proposed is a Sub-study initially
      planned to be piggy-backed on a planned Study being conducted by investigators at the
      University of North Carolina (UNC-- Linnan, Dilworth- Anderson & Evans). The UNC Parent Study
      was a feasibility study using community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to
      explore possible intervention strategies aimed to reduce the burden of chronic disease and
      cancer among African American families. The NHGRI-led eating behavior Sub-study is proposed
      to be integrated with the UNC Parent Study (hereafter referred to as Phase 1). The additional
      aims of the Sub-study (hereafter referred to as Phase 2) are to gain understanding of whether
      we can characterize clusters of eating-related behaviors that may be associated with
      adherence to weight management and weight outcomes. This current protocol lays out the
      specific qualitative activities planned for Phase 1 which include conducting structured
      interviews with Black Family Reunion organizers (N=8) and a sample of reunion participants
      (N=40). We also describe the larger quantitative survey proposed for Phase 2. Pending the
      feasibility of the sub-study with the African-American community, we will collect information
      on eating-related behaviors in a large sample of individuals (N=350). If the initial
      assessments (Phase1) prove that this is not a viable study to be conducted in that setting,
      we will consider other population groups and other settings.

      We are also considering Phase 3 activities if we identify clusters of eating-related
      phenotypes within individuals. Amended IRB applications will be submitted prior to launching
      Phase 3.
    

Detailed description: 
      Despite broad awareness of the role that diet plays in increasing obesity risk, adherence to
      public health recommendations for maintaining healthy eating is low. Insights gained from
      weight loss intervention trials find that trial participants report difficulty in restricting
      calories, dissatisfaction with the pace of weight loss, inability to control eating, low
      palatability of recommended foods and strong food cravings. Indeed, recent systematic reviews
      provide empirical support that these subjective experiences that trial participants describe
      likely represent eating-related traits or phenotypes . While amassing evidence supports
      individual variation in these eating-related traits, to date there has been no systematic
      effort to characterize robust eating-related phenotypes. Proposed is a Sub-study initially
      planned to be piggy-backed on a planned Study being conducted by investigators at the
      University of North Carolina (UNC-- Linnan, Dilworth- Anderson & Evans). The UNC Parent Study
      was a feasibility study using community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches to
      explore possible intervention strategies aimed to reduce the burden of chronic disease and
      cancer among African American families. The NHGRI-led eating behavior Sub-study is proposed
      to be integrated with the UNC Parent Study (hereafter referred to as Phase 1). The additional
      aims of the Sub-study (hereafter referred to as Phase 2) are to gain understanding of whether
      we can characterize clusters of eating-related behaviors that may be associated with
      adherence to weight management and weight outcomes. This current protocol lays out the
      specific qualitative activities planned for Phase 1 which include conducting structured
      interviews with Black Family Reunion organizers (N=8) and a sample of reunion participants
      (N=40). We also describe the larger quantitative survey proposed for Phase 2. Pending the
      feasibility of the sub-study with the African-American community, we will collect information
      on eating-related behaviors in a large sample of individuals (N=350). If the initial
      assessments (Phase1) prove that this is not a viable study to be conducted in that setting,
      we will consider other population groups and other settings.

      We are also considering Phase 3 activities if we identify clusters of eating-related
      phenotypes within individuals. Amended IRB applications will be submitted prior to launching
      Phase 3.
    

Observational model: Case-Only
Time perspective: Cross-Sectional
Sampling method: Non-Probability Sample
Study population: 
        Targets are family members attending African American family reunions.@@@@@@
      
Keywords: African American; Eating Behavior Phenotypes; Obesity; Natural History