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Neuropsychological assessment as a predictor of weight loss in obese adolescents

International Journal of Obesity volume 38, pages 507–512 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background:

Obese individuals are known to be more impulsive than their normal-weight counterparts. Impulsivity has been postulated to be a predictor of weight loss.

Design:

A pre–post study was designed to determine for the first time whether impulsivity changed with weight loss during a lifestyle and physical activity intervention programme lasting 2–8 weeks.

Subjects:

Fifty-three obese adolescents with a body mass index (BMI) of 33.75±7.9 attending a residential camp were tested and compared at baseline with 50 non-obese adolescents with a mean BMI of 20.6±2.3.

Measurements:

Inhibitory control was measured with the CANTAB (Cambridge Cognition, Cambridge, UK) Stop Signal Task. MATLAB (The Mathswork Inc., Natick, MA, USA) was used to measure the temporal discounting constant.

Results:

The obese group was more impulsive than the normal weight adolescents. BMI reduced significantly from 33.76 kg m−2 to 30.93 kg m−2 after completing camp. The stop signal reaction time (SSRT) decreased from 225.38±94.22 to 173.76±107.05 ms (n=47, P=0.0001). A reduction in inhibitory control during camp was predictive of those who showed the greatest reduction in BMI (Wilks’ Lambda=0.9, F(1,50)=4.85, P=0.034). The number of weeks in camp (Wilks’ Lambda=0.83, F(1,50)=9.826, P=0.003) and the age of the adolescents (Wilks’ Lambda=0.87, F(1,50)=5.98, P=0.02) were significantly associated with a reduction in inhibitory control as measured by the SSRT. A longer stay in camp was associated with a greater reduction in SSRT (B=25.45, t=2.02, P=0.05). Increasing age had a significant moderating role in the reduction of inhibitory control (B=−0.3, t=−0.034, P=0.05). Temporal discounting for monetary reward also fell significantly during camp.

Conclusion:

This study highlights the potential to identify those who are obese by using an easy-to-measure psychometric test. Furthermore, it is the first study to report a reduction in impulsivity and an improvement in well-being as part of a government-approved residential camp for obese adolescents. The potential mechanisms for change in impulsivity with weight are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Health Policy, Imperial College London, London, UK

    M Kulendran, I Vlaev, C Sugden, D King, H Ashrafian, P Gately & A Darzi

  2. Department of Exercise and Obesity, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds, UK

    P Gately

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  1. M Kulendran
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Correspondence to M Kulendran.

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Kulendran, M., Vlaev, I., Sugden, C. et al. Neuropsychological assessment as a predictor of weight loss in obese adolescents. Int J Obes 38, 507–512 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2013.198

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