EAT: A Reliable Eating Assessment Technology for Free-living Individuals

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Wearable Electronic Device

In brief

This study utilizes a small, privacy-conscious wearable device intended to monitor human behaviors. The device is worn around the neck, capturing the wearer's head and upper torso within its field of view, and records color images without audio. Participants visit the lab for consent, device training and recording of several activities using the device. Participants will then take the device home and wear it during their normal schedules for four "active" weeks. During each active week, participants will wear the device, keep a log of all food and drink items consumed throughout the day and participate in unscheduled phone calls with a dietitian. A "washout" week occurs in between each active week in which participants do not need to complete any study tasks. Alongside the device, we have included three privacy filters (blur, edge, and avatar) capable of obscuring faces and objects seen in the device-captured images. All participants will be subject to unfiltered recording during their first week followed by a different filter each following active week in a random order. At the start of each active week, participants view an example of what their recorded images will look like that week (given the privacy filter). At the end of the seven weeks, participants will return the device and provide the lab with feedback on the design of the device and its privacy-preserving features.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06118528

Run by

Northwestern University

People needed

72

Starts

2024-09-04

Expected to finish

2026-10-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-05-07

Who can join

Age: 18 and older. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• BMI greater than or equal to 18.5
• Chicago metropolitan area resident
• Able to speak, read and write in English
• Has a valid phone number
• Owns a smartphone
• Has access to a computer

You may not qualify if…

• Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals
• Experienced significant weight loss/gain in the last three months (25 lbs or more)
• Diagnosed with or has a family history of genetic obesity syndromes (e.g., Prader-Willi, Bardet-Biedl, Cohen Syndrome)
• Member of household enrolled in the study

Where it is running

• Northwestern University — Chicago, Illinois, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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