Monitoring Kids' Eating at Home and in the Lab (MEAL-TIME)
Monitoring Eating Across Locations (MEAL) - Timing, Intake, and Mealtime Evaluation (TIME)
This project will test whether eating styles seen in the lab match how 6–9-year-old children with obesity eat at home.
Quick facts
| Phase | Not applicable |
|---|---|
| Study type | Interventional |
| Enrollment | 100 (estimated) |
| Ages | 6 Years to 9 Years |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | Penn State University Academic / other |
| Drugs / interventions | radiation |
| Locations | 1 site (State College, Pennsylvania) |
| Trial ID | NCT07095166 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this trial studies
The trial will enroll 100 prepubertal children aged 6–9 with obesity and video-record their meals both in a laboratory setting and at home. Each child will consume identical study-provided meals in counterbalanced order (lab and home) and also have a typical home meal recorded to capture real-world behavior. Researchers will measure meal microstructure such as bite rate, meal timing, and intake to compare behaviors across settings. The study will also document features of the home food environment to identify factors that amplify obesogenic eating patterns.
Who should consider this trial
Good fit: Ideal candidates are healthy, English-speaking, 6–9-year-old prepubertal children with obesity who are not taking medications that affect appetite or taste and who will eat the provided foods.
Not a fit: Children outside the 6–9 age range, those with learning disabilities or neurodevelopmental disorders, certain medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, Prader-Willi), non-English speakers, colorblind children, or those on medications affecting appetite are excluded and unlikely to benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could guide home-focused strategies by identifying which eating behaviors and environmental factors lead to excess calorie intake in children with obesity.
How similar studies have performed: Previous laboratory research has linked faster bite rates and other meal microstructure features to higher intake, but it is not yet established whether these lab findings generalize to home meals.
Eligibility criteria
Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * children must be between the ages of 6-9 years-old * children are of good health with no learning disabilities (e.g., ADHD, determined by parent report) * children are not on any medications known to impact body weight, taste, food intake, behavior, or blood flow * parents report that children like and are willing to eat study foods Exclusion Criteria: * Children are not within the age requirements (\<6 years old or \> 9 years old) * If children are taking cold or allergy medication, or other medications known to influence cognitive function, taste, appetite, or blood flow. * If children don't speak English. * If children are colorblind. * If children have a learning disability, ADD/ADHD, language delays, autism or other neurological or psychological conditions. * If children have a pre-existing medical condition such as type I or type II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Cushing's syndrome, Down's syndrome, severe lactose intolerance, Prader-Willi syndrome, HIV, cancer, renal failure, or cerebral palsy. * If children are allergic to foods or ingredients used in the study. * child received an X-ray in the previous year (to avoid excess radiation exposure due to the DXA scans performed in the research)
Where this trial is running
State College, Pennsylvania
- Pennsylvania State University — State College, Pennsylvania, United States (Recruiting)
How to participate
- Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
- Visit the official trial page on ClinicalTrials.gov for the most current contact information and recruitment status.
- Contact the listed study coordinator or principal investigator to request pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.