Translational Investigation of Growth and Everyday Routines in Kids (TIGER Kids) Fitness Ancillary

Translational Investigation of Growth and Everyday Routines in Kids (TIGER Kids) Fitness Ancillary

The purpose of this ancillary study is to examine cardiorespiratory fitness, cognitive factors related to appetite, and objectively-measured food intake in a subsample of children and adolescents with overweight to severe obesity enrolled in the TIGER Kids prospective cohort. The primary study also collects data on habitual physical and sedentary activity, body weight and body composition, and cardiometabolic health markers.

The investigators will enroll 30 boys and girls (50% female) between the ages of 10-16 years and above the 85th BMI percentile (i.e., overweight to severe obesity) in this pilot ancillary study. The objective is to examine interactions between the following energy-balance related factors:

1. Ad libitum post-exercise food intake
2. Cognitive factors, including inhibitory control, food wanting, and motivation for food
3. Exercise-related factors, including cardiorespiratory fitness, substrate utilization (carbohydrate versus fat), and perceived exertion
4. Habitual physical and sedentary activity
5. Body composition and cardiometabolic health

The prospective, longitudinal nature of the study will allow the investigators to examine these variables cross-sectionally and quantify change over two years. Of particular interest is whether cognitive factors related to energy balance, including perceived exertion, inhibitory control, food wanting, and food motivation, vary across time or are relatively stable. Finally, the investigators will assess the ability of these factors to predict changes in body composition and cardiometabolic health over two years.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Eligible for the TIGER Kids primary study
• BMI >/= 85th percentile
• Height >/= 4 feet 6 inches
• Weight < 350 pounds

Exclusion Criteria:

• Anemia
• American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) contraindications to exercise testing (i.e., medical history of cardiovascular or pulmonary conditions, physical conditions that affect the ability to exercise)