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

Part of paid clinical trials in State College, Pennsylvania.

Sponsor
Penn State University
Study ID
NCT07095166
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Pediatric Obesity

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
6 Years - 9 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Accepted

Interventions

  • Meal Location — BEHAVIORAL
    The location at which the child will eat the experimental meal - home or lab

Study Details

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 Dates

Start date
Nov 15, 2025
Status verified
Mar 2026
Primary completion
Jun 15, 2027
Completion
Oct 15, 2027

Study Design

Enrollment
100 participants (estimated)
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE

Arms

  • Experimental: Home vs Lab Eating Behavior
    Examine differences in participants' eating at home versus in the lab

Primary Outcome Measure

Child body mass index [ Time Frame: Day 1 ]

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
Pennsylvania State UniversityState CollegePennsylvania16801
Alaina Pearce, PhD
[email protected]
3206305713

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By research site
Pennsylvania State University· State College, PA

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