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Understanding Eating Behaviors and Weight in Children

This study aims to understand how children's eating behaviors, brain activity, and body fat levels are connected. Researchers are particularly interested in the PACE phenotype, which looks at how children respond to different portion sizes, their appetite, how quickly they eat, and if they have difficulty controlling their eating. The goal is to learn why some children might gain more weight than others. This study does not involve an active intervention. It will include 420 children between 7 and 9 years old who are generally healthy, speak English, and do not have learning disabilities. Researchers will use brain scans, meal observations, and questionnaires to see how eating patterns relate to body fat at the start and after one year.

Study design
This is an observational study with a planned enrollment of 420 children. It is not randomized or blinded.
What's involved
You would participate in six research visits over one year. These visits include structured meals, computer and paper assessments, brain imaging, and body composition scans.
Compensation
Not stated in the trial record.
Follow-up
Participants will be followed for 12 months after the initial assessments.

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NCT07266506

Development of an Eating Behavior Risk Score

Not Yet Recruiting
NAAges 7–9InterventionalBasic science
Penn State University
~420 participants
Updated 2025-12-05 on ClinicalTrials.gov
What's tested:Assessment of PACE Eating Phenotype and Related Behavioral and Neurobiological Measures

At a glance

Recruiting sites
0 of 1 listed site is recruiting right now
RecruitingSuspended, closed, or not yet open
What they're measuring
fMRI Neural Response to Food Portion Size Images
Measured over Baseline
+4 more outcomes measured

Conditions

Obesity
Childhood

Explore related trials

Obesity

Where it's being run

1 sites across 1 states
Pennsylvania1

Study leadership

  • Kathleen L Keller, Ph.D. · PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR · Penn State University

Who to contact

Kathleen L Keller, Ph.D.
[email protected]
814-863-2915
Email the study team

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Eligibility criteria

Inclusion

Children must be of good health (with the exception of obesity being allowed) based on parental self-report.
Children should have no learning disabilities or developmental delays (e.g., ADHD, Autism, dyslexia)
Children should speak English fluently.
Children should not be on any medications known to influence body weight, taste, food intake, behavior, or blood flow, not be claustrophobic.
Children should between the ages of 7-9 years-old at enrollment.
Children must have a BMI-for-age % \< 85 or ≥ 95 to be enrolled.
The biological mother must have a BMI between 18.5 - 25.0 kg/m2 or a BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2. The parent primarily in charge of feeding must be able to accompany children to the visits.
The biological mother must have a BMI between 18.5 - 25.0 kg/m2 or a BMI ≥ 30.0 kg/m2. The parent primarily in charge of feeding must be able to accompany children to the visits.
The parent who has the most knowledge of the child's eating behavior, media access, sleep and behavior must be available to attend the visits with their child. This would be decided among the parents.

Exclusion

They are not within the age requirements (\< 7 years-old or \> 9 years-old) at baseline.
They are taking cold or allergy medication, or other medications known to influence cognitive function, taste, appetite, or blood flow.
They are red/green colorblind.
They do not speak English fluently.
They report being claustrophobic, or if they have any of the following: a learning disability, ADD/ADHD, language delays, autism, dyslexia, a pre-existing medical condition such as type I or type II diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Cushing's syndrome, Down's syndrome, food allergies, severe lactose intolerance, Prader-Willi syndrome, HIV, cancer, renal failure, or cerebral palsy.
They have tattoos, permanent makeup, dental ware, pacemakers, or metal implants that would preclude safe completion of the MRI.
They have received an X-ray in the previous month.
Their BMI-for-age percentile is between 85-95th
The biological mother has a body mass index \< 18.5 kg/m2 or between 25-29.9 kg/m2.
The primary parent in charge of making feeding decisions is unable to attend the study visits.
The family reports plans to move away from the area in the next year.

What this trial measures

  • fMRI Neural Response to Food Portion Size ImagesBaseline

    Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) will be used to measure brain activation in response to images of palatable, energy-dense food portions of varying sizes. Activation will be assessed in brain regions involved in visceral interoception (e.g., insula, cerebellum) and self-regulation (e.g., dorsolateral prefrontal cortex). These neural responses will be correlated with children's PACE phenotype scores to explore neurobiological underpinnings of eating behaviors.

  • PACE (Portion Size Susceptibility, Appetite Awareness, Loss of Control Eating, and Eating Speed) Phenotype ScoreBaseline and 12-month follow-up

    The PACE score will be calculated as a composite measure including: 1) children's food intake during two laboratory meals with varying portion sizes, 2) parent-reported appetite traits via the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire, 3) loss of control eating measured with the Pediatric Eating Disorder Screener, and 4) eating rate quantified through video-recorded meals and behavioral coding of bite rate and eating speed. This score reflects obesogenic eating phenotypes.

  • Child AdiposityBaseline and 12-month follow-up

    Child body fat percentage and adiposity will be measured using DXA scans, a validated imaging technique providing precise assessment of body composition. This measure will serve as the primary dependent variable to evaluate associations with PACE phenotype and changes over time.

  • Family Socioeconomic Status (SES)Baseline

    Family SES will be assessed via parent self-report questionnaires, including family income levels and parental educational attainment. SES will be analyzed as a moderator of the relationship between PACE scores and child adiposity to explore social determinants of obesity risk.

  • PACE Phenotype Score Consistency Over TimeBaseline and 12-month follow-up

    PACE scores obtained at baseline and 12-month follow-up will be compared to evaluate the stability and trajectory of obesogenic eating behaviors in children over one year.