[Effect of the amount of food as a visible external stimulus on the eating behavior of obese children].

In our study we investigated the influence of different amounts of food, offered to obese children. We compared the food intake of 15 obese children (8 girls, 7 boys mean overweight: 41 +/- 7%) aged 10 to 12 years (mean age: 11,3 +/- 0,8) with matched normal weight children: Obese children consumed significantly more food than the control group, independently of the amount of food offered. Offering higher amounts of food, obese children tended to eat more and increased their food intake significantly. Therefore we suggest, that obese children are more dependent on external stimulus concerning the amounts of offered food than normal weight children.