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NCT Number: NCT07095166

Monitoring Eating Across Locations (MEAL) - Timing, Intake, and Mealtime Evaluation (TIME)

Increased availability of high-energy dense foods has contributed to a pediatric obesity epidemic, with 23% of United States children currently presenting with the disease. How children eat contributes to both overconsumption and greater adiposity. However, it is unclear if laboratory measures of children's eating style generalize to the home environment, where children consume two thirds of their total energy. The study will 1) test if child eating styles observed in the lab generalize to more ecologically valid home environments and 2) identify aspects of home food environment that amplify obesogenic eating behaviors. We will assess laboratory and home eating styles (e.g., bite rate) in 100 prepubertal 6-9-year-old children to constrain variability in energy requirements. Children will be video-recorded while consuming identical study-provided meals at home and in the laboratory (counter-balanced order) in addition to a 'typical' meal at home. To study how adiposity relates to "obesogenic" styles of eating, gold standard dual x-ray absorptiometry will be used.

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Key information

Conditions

Pediatric Obesity Behavior Behavior, Animal Body Weight Feeding Behavior Nutrition Disorders Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Obesity Overnutrition Overweight Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Signs and Symptoms

Age range

6 year–9 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Pennsylvania State University

State College, Pennsylvania, 16801, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

Alaina Pearce, PhD

CONTACT

[email protected]

3206305713

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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)

Treatment and study plan

Meal Location

Behavioral

The location at which the child will eat the experimental meal - home or lab

Primary outcomes

  1. Child body mass index

    Time frame: Day 1

    child height and weight will be measured

  2. Food intake in grams during a standard meal

    Time frame: Day 1 and Day 2 or 3 depending on randomization

    Intake in grams from standard meal

  3. Food intake in kcal during a standard meal

    Time frame: Day 1 and Day 2 or 3 depending on randomization

    Intake in kcal during a standard meal

  4. Video coding of standard meal

    Time frame: Day 1 and Day 2 or 3 depending on randomization

    A digital recording of the child eating a standard meal will be saved. The study team have developed a behavior coding protocol to measure child meal microstructure (e.g., bites, bite size, meal duration) and have also validated a computational model to assess cumulative intake curves from video coded bite data.

  5. Food intake in grams during a snack buffet when not hungry

    Time frame: Day 1

    Intake in grams during a snack buffet using a standard eating in the absence of hunger paradigm (i.e., non-homeostatic intake)

  6. Food intake in kcal during a snack buffet when not hungry

    Time frame: Day 1

    Intake in kcal during a snack buffet using a standard eating in the absence of hunger paradigm (i.e., non-homeostatic intake)

  7. Body Composition

    Time frame: Day 1

    Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry to assess body composition including fat mass and fat-free mass in children

  8. Food intake in grams during a Study Meal

    Time frame: Day 2 or 3 depending on randomization and home meal administration

    Intake in grams from Study Meal

  9. Food intake in kcal during the Study Meal

    Time frame: Day 2 or 3 depending on randomization and home meal administration

    Intake in kcal during the Study Meal

  10. Video coding of the study meal

    Time frame: Day 2 or 3 depending on randomization and home meal administration

    A digital recording of the child eating a Study Meal will be saved. The study team have developed a behavior coding protocol to measure child meal microstructure (e.g., bites, bite size, meal duration) and have also validated a computational model to assess cumulative intake curves from video coded bite data.

  11. Video coding of home meals

    Time frame: Week 1 and Week 2

    Digital recordings of the child eating a typical meals at home. The study team have developed a behavior coding protocol to measure child meal microstructure (e.g., bites, bite size, meal duration) and have also validated a computational model to assess cumulative intake curves from video coded bite data.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Penn State University

Other

Registry information

Acronym: MEAL-TIME

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Jul 31, 2025
Registry last updated
Mar 6, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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