Clinical trial Recruiting at 1 site Interventional Ages 6 to 59

Whole Food for Families: a family whole-foods diet program to prevent type 2 diabetes

Official title: Whole Food for Families: A Pilot RCT of a Dietary Guidelines-Based Intervention to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Run by Vanderbilt University · NCT06482944 · Data updated 2026-11-12

This pilot randomized program will test whether a 12-week, family-centered, non-calorie-restricted whole-foods diet for parents with prediabetes and their children lowers adult HbA1c and improves family diet quality.

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Quick facts

Study typeInterventional
Ages6 Years to 59 Years
SexAll
Enrollment30 (estimated)
SponsorVanderbilt University
Academic / other
Locations1 site (Nashville, Tennessee)
StatusRecruiting
StartedOctober 13, 2025
Main results expectedJune 30, 2027
Study endsJune 30, 2027
Registry record updatedNovember 2, 2026
Trial IDNCT06482944 on ClinicalTrials.gov

Is this trial a fit for you?

Likely a good fit

Ideal candidates are English-speaking parents aged 25–59 with BMI 23–<40 and confirmed prediabetes who have at least one child aged 6–18, no restrictive food allergies, and who can attend Vanderbilt visits in Greater Nashville.

Probably not a fit

People with diagnosed diabetes, major medical conditions that limit participation, restrictive diets or food allergies, non-English speakers, or those living outside the Greater Nashville area likely would not benefit or be eligible.

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This pilot randomized controlled trial will enroll adult–child pairs and randomly assign families to a 12-week, non‑calorie‑restricted whole‑foods program based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans or to a control condition. The trial will test feasibility and acceptability by measuring enrollment, retention (target ≥80%), and adult diet satisfaction (target ≥75%). It will also test preliminary effectiveness on adult HbA1c at 12 weeks and on adult and child diet quality using the 2020 Healthy Eating Index. Eligible adults are 25–59 years old with BMI 23–<40, confirmed prediabetes, no prohibitive dietary restrictions, English-speaking, and willing to attend visits at Vanderbilt in Greater Nashville.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, the program could lower adult blood sugar (HbA1c) and improve diet quality in parents and children, reducing future risk of type 2 diabetes.

How similar studies have gone: Previous adult-focused trials of Mediterranean, DASH, and other whole-food patterns have shown improvements in glycemia, but family-based interventions using the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are novel and less tested.

Who can join: the full rules

Show full inclusion / exclusion criteria
For this study, eligible adults with prediabetes will be those that:

1. are 25 to 59 years of age at time of initial screen and identify as a parent to at least one offspring 6-26 years or identify as a spouse/partner to an adult 25-64 years;
2. have a body mass index of between ≥23kg/m2 to ≤45kg/m2;
3. have prediabetes (based on American Diabetes Association criteria of either fasting plasma glucose of ≥100 mg/dL, HgbA1c 5.7-6.4%, or 2-hour plasma glucose during 75-g oral glucose tolerance test \[OGTT\] 140 mg/dL to 199 mg/dL) with recent lab values reported within the prior 6-12 months and confirmed by an HbA1c A1cNow+ collected prior to enrollment (\*see comment below);
4. have no special dietary restrictions or food allergies that would prohibit consumption of a variety of foods/beverages;
5. are English speaking;
6. reside in Greater Nashville Tennessee and willing to come to Vanderbilt campus and Vanderbilt University Medical Center for required study visits;
7. are without medical conditions that would limit participation in a diet-related study (e.g., tube feeding, dysphagia, severe food allergy causing anaphylaxis; history of or active eating disorder);
8. are able to participate in a 12-week dietary program that requires home preparation/cooking for meals and snacks;

For this study, eligible offspring will be those that:

1. Are 6-26 years at time of initial screen;
2. Have an index parent with prediabetes that is actively enrolled in the program;
3. have body mass index ≥5th percentile for age and gender on standardized CDC growth curves;
4. have no special dietary restrictions or food allergies that would prohibit consumption of a variety of foods/beverages;
5. have parental commitment to participate in a 12-week research study
6. are English speaking;
7. reside in the Greater Nashville Tennessee area and live at home with their index parent during the duration of 12- week study;
8. are without medical conditions that would limit participation in a diet-related study (e.g., tube feeding, dysphagia, severe food allergy causing anaphylaxis, history or active eating disorder);
9. are able to participate in a 12-week dietary program that includes at least dinner and snacks provided during after-school hours;

For this study, eligible spouse/partner will be those that:

1. Are 25-64 years at time of initial screen;
2. Be considered a spouse/partner of an adult with prediabetes that is actively enrolled in the program;
3. have no special dietary restrictions or food allergies that would prohibit consumption of a variety of foods/beverages;
4. are English speaking;
5. reside in the Greater Nashville Tennessee area and live in the home of the enrolled adult with prediabetes during the duration of 12- week study;
6. are without medical conditions that would limit participation in a diet-related study (e.g., tube feeding, dysphagia, severe food allergy causing anaphylaxis, history or active eating disorder);

Adult with prediabetes exclusion criteria include:

1. Adults whose HbA1c test is outside of the HbA1c range during screening\* (see details related to screening results)
2. adults outside the specified age range of \<25 years or \>64 years;
3. adults whose body mass index is \<23kg/m2 or those with a body mass index ≥46kg/m2 as that degree of morbid obesity represents a different phenotype where dietary behavioral intervention alone may not be sufficient to achieve weight loss);
4. receiving care by a healthcare provider (i.e., MD, NP, PA) for a complicated diagnosis of prediabetes that requires routine glycemic monitoring or frequent healthcare visits for management/treatment;
5. adults actively participating in any type of weight loss program (dietary or physical activity)
6. adults with a prior history of type 2 diabetes;
7. adults who are not English speaking or have limited English-language proficiency;
8. adults with special dietary restrictions, food allergies, or medical conditions that prohibit participation in a diet-related study;
9. adults with serious mental or neurologic illness that impairs the ability to consent/participate;
10. women who are pregnant or nursing due to increased metabolic state requiring greater energy requirements;
11. adults currently taking medications to treat diabetes or to promote weight loss;
12. adults living outside Greater Nashville Tennessee or who are unwilling to travel to Vanderbilt for study visits;
13. adults who do not otherwise meet the eligibility criteria listed in sections above as determined by pre-screen;

Offspring exclusion criteria include:

1. offspring outside the specified age range of \<6 years or \>26 years;
2. offspring (under 18 years) whose body mass index is \<5th percentile for age and gender on standardized CDC growth curves;
3. offspring who do not have an eligible index parent participating in the study;
4. children (under 18 years) who do not have parental commitment to participate consistently for 12-weeks
5. offspring who are not English speaking or have limited English-language proficiency;
6. offspring with special dietary restrictions, food allergies, or medical conditions that prohibit participation in a diet-related study;
7. offspring with active or history of eating disorder;
8. children/adolescents (under 18 years) who display dissenting behaviors during baseline data collection;
9. offspring who do not otherwise meet the eligibility criteria listed in sections above as determined by pre-screen;

Spouse/partner exclusion criteria include:

1. Spouse/partner outside the specified age range \<25 year or ≥65 years;
2. Does not identify as a spouse/partner of the adult with prediabetes that plans to be enrolled in the program;
3. Spouse/partner with special dietary restrictions or food allergies that would prohibit consumption of a variety of foods/beverages;
4. Spouse/partner who are not English speaking or have limited English-language proficiency;
5. Spouse/partner who does not reside in the Greater Nashville Tennessee area and/or does not live in the home of the enrolled adult with prediabetes during the duration of 12- week study;
6. Spouse/partner with medical conditions that would limit participation in a diet-related study (e.g., tube feeding, dysphagia, severe food allergy causing anaphylaxis, history or active eating disorder);

Where it's running

  • Vanderbilt University School of Nursing
    Nashville, Tennessee, United States
    Recruiting

Study contacts

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How to take part

  1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
  2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
  3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.
Last reviewed 2026-11-14 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.