Actively Recruiting
Children s Growth and Behavior Study
Led by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) · Updated on 2026-05-14
1500
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
819 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
Background: \- Studies show that many factors affect children's eating behavior and health. These include sleep, mood, thinking skills, and genetics. Studying children over time may identify children at higher risk for eating-related health concerns. Objective: \- To understand how genes and environment influence eating behavior and health over time. Eligibility: \- Children ages 8-17 in good general health. Design: * Screening visit 1: Medical history, physical exam, body measurements, and questions. * 14 days: Participants will wear a wrist monitor and answer smartphone prompts about eating and mood. They may give a stool sample. * Screening visit 2: * Body measurements. * Saliva, urine, and blood samples. * Heart tests. * Meals provided (after fasting overnight). * Questionnaires and interview. * Behavior, thinking, and exercise tests. * X-ray of left wrist and full body.\<TAB\> * Some parents may have medical history, physical exam, and questions at screening visits. They may answer questions at the yearly visits. * Participants will have up to 6 yearly visits. They will give a urine sample and body measurements, and repeat the X-rays. They will have questions and behavior and thinking tasks. They may give stool samples. Visits will range from 3 to 8 hours. * Participants may choose to participate in other studies: * Stress and Hormones, 1 visit: While resting, participants will give saliva samples and have their heart monitored. Then they will do math. They will repeat the resting part, then do a computer task. * Brain Imaging, 2 visits: Twice, participants will perform tasks with a magnetic cone on their head then answer questions. Once, they will have an MRI, lying still in a scanner with a coil on their head. Before the first visit, participants will collect at-home saliva samples once a day for three days. During both visits, participants will perform tasks and answer questions that gauge their thinking skills and mood. * Experiment 3 (sleep/fatigue): Participants will complete 2 additional visits. During these visits, participants will complete a task on the computer for 2 hours, or watch a movie for two hours. After completion of the task/movie, they will answer questions and be provided with food. Participants will be compensated for the time and inconvenience involved with completing study procedures.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Children s Growth and Behavior Study
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Children aged 8 to 17 years
- Weight, height, and BMI at or above the 5th percentile for age and sex
- Cognitively able to complete study procedures (FSIQ 70 or higher)
- Good general health based on medical history and physical exam (excluding overweight and minor, controlled illnesses)
You will not qualify if you...
- History of major cardiovascular disease or serious obesity-related complications
- Untreated or major endocrine or cardiovascular illnesses
- Serious illnesses such as renal, hepatic, gastrointestinal, certain endocrinologic, hematological, or pulmonary disorders (except controlled asthma)
- Regular use of medications affecting body weight or eating behavior
- Current pregnancy or history of pregnancy; negative pregnancy test required for postmenarcheal girls
- Regular use of tobacco products or alcohol
- Significant weight loss (>5%) in past 3 months
- History of significant or recent brain injury affecting neurocognitive performance
- Presence of major psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, substance abuse
- Any condition judged by investigators to hinder compliance or study completion
- Additional exclusions for stool sample collection and specific experimental procedures as detailed in the protocol
AI-Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center
Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20892
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
B
Bobby K Cheon
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Masking
N/A
Allocation
N/A
Model
N/A
Primary Purpose
N/A
Number of Arms
2
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