The Development of an Eating Laboratory for Overweight Adolescents

The purpose of this study is to examine the eating behavior, meal-related perceptions and meal-related hormones in overweight adolescents, normal weight adolescents and overweight adolescents who are undergoing bariatric surgery. Subjects will be asked to consume a single-item breakfast meal of a fixed amount (Ensure) and a multiple-item meal from a luncheon buffet. During the single-item meal, subjects will fill out questionnaires assessing subjective responses to the meal (e.g. hunger, fullness, pleasantness) and blood samples will be taken before, during, and after the meal to assess hormonal responses to the meal. The multiple-item meal will permit an assessment of total caloric consumption, food and macronutrient choice and rate of eating. Overweight adolescents undergoing bariatric surgery will be asked to do the meal studies 1 to 3 months before and 3 to 6 months after their surgery. Some bariatric surgery patients will only be studied after their after their surgery.

The data gathered from these pilot subjects will be used to further develop and refine our future studies on assessing eating behavior in overweight adolescents.