Anxiety and body-awareness as early risk factors for childhood eating problems
Official title: Anxiety and Interoception Risk for Eating Disorders in Childhood
Funded at University of Louisville · NIH-11177696 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether childhood anxiety and how kids notice bodily sensations are linked to later unhealthy eating thoughts and behaviors in children and teens.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Louisville NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Louisville, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $728,204 |
| NIH project number | 5R01MH129357-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11177696 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are children and adolescents, especially preteens and teens around late childhood (roughly elementary to early middle-school ages) and families concerned about anxiety or eating behaviors.
✕Less likely to help
Adults or children already receiving intensive treatment for a full-blown, chronic eating disorder may not receive direct treatment benefits from this risk-focused study.
What this research studies
If your child joins, researchers will track children over time to see who develops problematic eating behaviors or eating disorders. They will measure anxiety symptoms, how children sense and report bodily feelings (interoception), and fear-learning patterns using questionnaires and behavioral tests. The team will compare these measures to eating attitudes and behaviors as kids approach adolescence, focusing on early signs that appear by age 12. The goal is to spot patterns that come before clinical eating disorders so earlier help might be possible.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help identify children at higher risk for eating disorders so interventions can start earlier to prevent lasting harm.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research links anxiety to later eating problems, but applying interoception and fear-learning measures in young children is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Louisville
Louisville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Levinson, Cheri Alicia — University of Louisville
- Study coordinator: Levinson, Cheri Alicia
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.