Effect of Physical Activity an Stress in Children

The objective of the study is to evaluate the impact of physical activity in obese and nonobese prepubertal children on:

1. biological stress responses during a psychosocial stress test
2. snacking and feeling of hunger in response to the same psychosocial stress test
3. the moderating factor of attachment on the biological stress responses and on snacking

Children will be investigated on one study day during 3.5 hours.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity; Physical Activity; Stress; Children; Snacking
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Acute physical activity intervention; Behavioral: placebo

Detailed Description

Hypotheses In this study, 3 primary hypotheses will be tested.

1. Moderate physical activity during 25 min in children decreases the cortisol levels in response to the Trier Social Stress Test TSST-C (for children).
2. Moderate physical activity during 25 min in children decreases the snacking (calorie consumption when corrected for expenditure and switch in quality of food intake) in response to the Trier Social Stress Test TSST-C (for children).
3. A secure attachment will be a moderating factor for the general increase in cortisol and the snacking in response to the psychosocial stress test (Trier Social Stress Test TSST-C).

Secondary objectives:

1. To test if the impact of physical activity on stress responses and snacking differs between obese and non-obese children
2. To test the impact of physical activity on the cardiovascular stress reactivity (blood pressure, heart rate) and the perceived stress (scale) in response to the Trier Social Stress Test TSST-C?
3. To test if the stress reactivity and its modulation by physical activity is different in anxious and in impulsives/labile children
4. To test if serious life events and parental worries and parental educational style influence the stress reactivity

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Switzerland
  • VD
    • Lausanne, VD, Switzerland, 1011
      • Univeristy of Lausanne, SUPEA

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 7 years to 10 years (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 7-10 year old children

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe illness
• Medications interfering with study

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Acute physical activity intervention; 25 min of moderate physical activity	Behavioral: Acute physical activity intervention; 25 min of physical activity. The placebo arm will have 25 min of reading.
Placebo Comparator: Placebo; 25 min of reading (instead of physical activity)	Behavioral: placebo

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in salivary Cortisol and maximal levels of salivary cortisol in response to the TSST stress test over 2 hours		9 months
Snacking (Caloric intake, corrected for energy expenditure)	Measure of caloric intake and measure of choice of high-caloric vs low-caloric food snacking after the TSST stress test	9 months
Moderator effect of attachment (4 different attachment categories), i.e. children with a secure attachment will have lower rises in cortisol compared with children in the other 3 attachment categories	Cortisol levels after the TSST stress test will be lower in children with secure attachment compared to detached, disorganized or preoccupied children (i.e. the 3 other attachment categories).	9 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Moderator effect of obesity (WHO criteria)	9 months
Cardiovascular reactivity (changes and maximal levels of blood pressure, heart rate)	9 months
Perceived stress (stress scale from 1-7)	9 months
Moderator role of serious life events and parental worries	9 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Lausanne Hospitals

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Horsch A, Wobmann M, Kriemler S, Munsch S, Borloz S, Balz A, Marques-Vidal P, Borghini A, Puder JJ. Impact of physical activity on energy balance, food intake and choice in normal weight and obese children in the setting of acute social stress: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Pediatr. 2015 Feb 19;15:12. doi: 10.1186/s12887-015-0326-7.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 1, 2012
• Primary Completion (Actual): June 1, 2013
• Study Completion (Actual): December 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 29, 2012
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 22, 2012
• First Posted (Estimate): September 26, 2012

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 25, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 23, 2020
• Last Verified: March 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Obesity; Stress; Children; Physical activity; Snacking
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Overweight; Body Weight; Obesity
• Other Study ID Numbers: 286/12