Understanding comfort eating and how to prevent it across life
Comfort eating in the Eating in America Study: New insights to inform prevention and intervention efforts across the lifespan
['FUNDING_R21'] · NATIONAL OPINION RESEARCH CENTER · NIH-11113824
This project looks at how comfort eating starts and what can help prevent it in teens and adults.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_R21'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | NATIONAL OPINION RESEARCH CENTER (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (CHICAGO, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11113824 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
If you take part, researchers will ask about your eating habits, stress, mood, and confidence in resisting comfort foods and will collect basic weight/height information. They will compare these measures across adolescence into adulthood to see when comfort eating develops and how it links to body weight and diabetes risk. The team will also look at which personal or social factors relate to people feeling able to avoid comfort eating. Findings will be used to guide prevention and intervention approaches aimed at reducing unhealthy eating over the lifespan.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adolescents and adults who sometimes eat in response to stress or negative emotions, including people with overweight, obesity, or family risk for type 2 diabetes.
Not a fit: People whose eating is not related to stress or who have medical conditions unrelated to diet or weight are unlikely to directly benefit from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could inform programs that reduce weight gain and lower the chance of developing type 2 diabetes by preventing unhealthy comfort eating.
How similar studies have performed: Previous interventions aimed at reducing comfort eating have shown small or mixed results, so this work builds on limited and inconsistent evidence.
Where this research is happening
CHICAGO, UNITED STATES
- NATIONAL OPINION RESEARCH CENTER — CHICAGO, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: FINCH, LAURA ELIZABETH — NATIONAL OPINION RESEARCH CENTER
- Study coordinator: FINCH, LAURA ELIZABETH
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 below.
Conditions: Adult-Onset Diabetes Mellitus