Taking people in United StatesNo phase

Studying how children eat at home and in the lab

Compares how children aged 6 to 9 eat meals at home and in the lab.

Key facts

Who runs it: Penn State University
Where: State College, United StatesSee the site
Trial code: NCT07095166
Registry title: Monitoring Eating Across Locations (MEAL) - Timing, Intake, and Mealtime Evaluation (TIME)
Status: Recruiting
People taking part: 100 people, planned
Started: 15 Nov 2025
Expected to end: 15 Oct 2027
Type of study: Interventional
Treatments tested: Meal Location
Record updated: 6 March 2026

Who can take part

AI summary

From the trial's eligibility criteria. Machine-read from the registry text on this page, so it can be wrong. The registry text below and the trial team decide who can take part.

The trial is looking for healthy children aged 6 to 9 years. They will be filmed eating study meals at home and in the lab.

Age: 6 to 9 years
Sex: Boys and girls
Earlier treatment: Children must not take medicines known to affect body weight, taste, food intake, behavior, or blood flow.

Main reasons for not taking part

Learning disabilities, ADHD, ADD, language delays, autism, or other neurological or psychological conditions
Medical conditions such as type I or type II diabetes, Down's syndrome, HIV, or cancer
Allergy to foods or ingredients used in the study
An X-ray in the previous year
Colorblindness, or not speaking English

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 12 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

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

Who cannot take part

child received an X-ray in the previous year (to avoid excess radiation exposure due to the DXA scans performed in the research)
If children are taking cold or allergy medication, or other medications known to influence cognitive function, taste, appetite, or blood flow
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
Children are not within the age requirements (<6 years old or > 9 years old)
If children don't speak English
If children are colorblind

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

Are you between 6 and 9 years old?

Where in United States

Pennsylvania State UniversityState College, United StatesContact: Alaina Pearce, PhDTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

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.