Monitoring Eating Across Locations (MEAL) - Timing, Intake, and Mealtime Evaluation (TIME)

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Pediatric Obesity

In brief

Increased availability of high-energy dense foods has contributed to a pediatric obesity epidemic, with 23% of United States children currently presenting with the disease. How children eat contributes to both overconsumption and greater adiposity. However, it is unclear if laboratory measures of children's eating style generalize to the home environment, where children consume two thirds of their total energy. The study will 1) test if child eating styles observed in the lab generalize to more ecologically valid home environments and 2) identify aspects of home food environment that amplify obesogenic eating behaviors. We will assess laboratory and home eating styles (e.g., bite rate) in 100 prepubertal 6-9-year-old children to constrain variability in energy requirements. Children will be video-recorded while consuming identical study-provided meals at home and in the laboratory (counter-balanced order) in addition to a 'typical' meal at home. To study how adiposity relates to "obesogenic" styles of eating, gold standard dual x-ray absorptiometry will be used.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07095166

Run by

Penn State University

People needed

100

Starts

2025-11-15

Expected to finish

2027-10-15

Last updated by the study team

2026-03-06

Who can join

Age: 6 and older, up to 9. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• children must be between the ages of 6-9 years-old
• children are of good health with no learning disabilities (e.g., ADHD, determined by parent report)
• children are not on any medications known to impact body weight, taste, food intake, behavior, or blood flow
• parents report that children like and are willing to eat study foods

You may not qualify if…

• Children are not within the age requirements (<6 years old or > 9 years old)
• If children are taking cold or allergy medication, or other medications known to influence cognitive function, taste, appetite, or blood flow.
• If children don't speak English.
• If children are colorblind.
• If children have a learning disability, ADD/ADHD, language delays, autism or other neurological or psychological conditions.
• If children have a pre-existing medical condition such as type I or type II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Cushing's syndrome, Down's syndrome, severe lactose intolerance, Prader-Willi syndrome, HIV, cancer, renal failure, or cerebral palsy.
• If children are allergic to foods or ingredients used in the study.
• child received an X-ray in the previous year (to avoid excess radiation exposure due to the DXA scans performed in the research)

Where it is running

• Pennsylvania State University — State College, Pennsylvania, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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