How rewards and self-control shape kids' weight as they grow
Official title: Developmental trajectories of reinforcer pathology and childhood obesity
Funded at State University of New York at Buffalo · NIH-11298978 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers will track how the pull of tasty food versus the appeal of activity, together with the ability to wait for rewards, relates to weight from early childhood through adolescence.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University of New York at Buffalo NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Amherst, United States) |
| Project start | March 15, 2025 |
| Project end | January 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $589,877 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK139258-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11298978 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children and teenagers from early childhood through adolescence, especially those at risk for or already showing excess weight.
✕Less likely to help
Adults well past adolescence or children with no interest in participating in behavioral testing or clinic visits are unlikely to benefit directly from participation.
What this research studies
This project follows children from early childhood into adolescence to see how the attraction to food versus physical activity and the ability to delay gratification change over time. Participants will complete questionnaires and behavioral tasks that measure how rewarding food and exercise feel and will do simple tests of impulse control. They may also have height/weight measured at clinic visits and wear activity monitors to track movement. Researchers will link those measures to changes in body mass to map pathways that lead to increased obesity risk as kids age.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could point to better-timed prevention or personalized approaches that reduce obesity by targeting reward drives and self-control in kids.
How similar studies have gone: Prior research supports links between reward value, delay discounting, and obesity, but this longitudinal, developmental mapping across childhood into adolescence is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
-
State University of New York at Buffalo
Amherst, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Epstein, Leonard H — State University of New York at Buffalo
- Study coordinator: Epstein, Leonard H
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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.