Understanding Why Adolescents Gain More Weight in Summer Than During the School Year
Official title: Etiology of Accelerated Weight Gain during Summer vs. School in Adolescents: What's UP (Undermining Prevention) with Summer 2
Funded at University of South Carolina at Columbia · NIH-11123230 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at why children and adolescents tend to gain more weight during summer vacation compared to the school year, especially those from lower-income families.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Carolina at Columbia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbia, United States) |
| Project start | September 18, 2018 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $655,265 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK116665-08 |
| Project ID | NIH-11123230 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This project is designed for elementary and middle school-aged children and adolescents who are already part of the ongoing 'What's UP with Summer' cohort study.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not currently enrolled in the existing cohort study would not directly benefit from this specific phase of the research.
What this research studies
We know that children often gain significantly more weight during their summer break than over the entire school year, and this is particularly true for youth from low-income households. This project continues a large and diverse effort to understand this pattern by carefully tracking the same children over several years. We measure their height and weight at the start and end of each summer, and also during the school year, to see how their weight changes. We also use special devices and daily diaries to record their activity levels, sleep, screen time, sedentary time, and diet, as well as where they are and who they are with, both during school and summer.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us develop better strategies to prevent unhealthy weight gain in children and adolescents, especially during the summer months.
How similar studies have gone: This project extends a successful long-term cohort study that has already provided valuable insights into childhood weight gain patterns.
Where this research is happening
-
University of South Carolina at Columbia
Columbia, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Beets, Michael W — University of South Carolina at Columbia
- Study coordinator: Beets, Michael W
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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.