Actively Recruiting
Monitoring Eating Across Locations (MEAL) - Timing, Intake, and Mealtime Evaluation (TIME)
Led by Penn State University · Updated on 2026-03-06
100
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
99 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
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.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Monitoring Eating Across Locations (MEAL) - Timing, Intake, and Mealtime Evaluation (TIME)
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Children must be between the ages of 6 and 9 years old
- Children must be in good health with no learning disabilities such as ADHD, based on parent report
- Children must not be taking medications that affect body weight, taste, food intake, behavior, or blood flow
- Parents must report that children like and are willing to eat the study foods
You will not qualify if you...
- Children younger than 6 years old or older than 9 years old
- Children taking cold, allergy, or other medications that influence cognitive function, taste, appetite, or blood flow
- Children who do not speak English
- Children who are colorblind
- Children with learning disabilities, ADD/ADHD, language delays, autism, or other neurological or psychological conditions
- Children with pre-existing medical conditions such as type I or II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Cushing's syndrome, Down's syndrome, severe lactose intolerance, Prader-Willi syndrome, HIV, cancer, renal failure, or cerebral palsy
- Children allergic to foods or ingredients used in the study
- Children who have had an X-ray in the previous year to avoid excess radiation exposure
AI-Screening
AI-Powered Screening
Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility
Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
Pennsylvania State University
State College, Pennsylvania, United States, 16801
Actively Recruiting
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
NONE
Allocation
NA
Model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary Purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Number of Arms
1
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