NCT06464497

Whole Foods for Teens: A Pilot Dietary Intervention to Reduce Body Adiposity in Adolescents With Obesity

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 60 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Vanderbilt University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 10 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This study will address the following aims: Aim 1: Conduct an 8-week pilot RCT to examine the effects of a whole foods diet intervention on body adiposity in adolescents with obesity. Aim 1a (Primary): Evaluate intervention effectiveness on total fat mass following the 8-week intervention. Hypothesis 1a: Adolescents randomized to the whole foods intervention will have lower total fat mass (kg) at the 8-week follow-up than those in the control group. Aim 1b: Evaluate intervention effectiveness on anthropometric changes following the 8-week intervention. Hypothesis 1b: Adolescents randomized to the whole foods intervention will have lower weight, BMI-z scores and/or waist circumference at the 8-week follow-up than those in the control group. Secondary Aims: Aim 2: Conduct an 8-week pilot RCT to examine the effects of a whole foods diet intervention on diet quality in adolescent and parent pairs during the study period. Hypothesis 2: Adolescents and parents randomized to the whole foods intervention will have higher diet quality scores at the 8-week follow-up than those in the control group. Aim 3: Conduct post-intervention family focus groups to identify how individual/family needs and preferences and social determinants of health (SDOH) may be perceived barriers and/or facilitators of diet adherence to a whole foods diet pattern.

Detailed description

For adolescents with obesity, a healthy diet pattern is recommended as a first-line non-pharmacological treatment. Yet, despite decades of research, there is inconclusive evidence from randomized clinical trials (RCT) to support an optimal dietary pattern to treat adolescent obesity. While observational data has linked poor-quality diet patterns high in calories, fat, and refined carbohydrates to greater body adiposity in adolescents, some research suggests that dietary patterns that emphasize high-quality whole foods (e.g. Mediterranean, low-glycemic load) not only improve diet quality but can also effectively reduce body adiposity and improve metabolic outcomes (e.g., insulin resistance) without the need for calorie restrictions. However, for adolescents with obesity, adherence to a healthy diet pattern requires the involvement of the whole family, with the potential to improve diet quality and reduce body adiposity and its associated metabolic complications. Unfortunately, weaknesses of past studies include 1) a failure to intervene upon diet quality at the family level to modify adolescent dietary behaviors, and 2) a lack of consideration for how individual/family needs and social determinants of health (SDOH) impact diet adoption. To address these gaps, we will test a novel 8-week pilot RCT of a non-calorie-restricted whole foods diet adapted from the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that offers a simple, customizable MyPlate Plan approach (i.e., 5 daily food group goals) focused on individual, family, cultural, and budgetary preferences. We will recruit 30 eligible adolescent (10-18 years) and parent (≥25 years) pairs to test the diet's effects on 1) adolescent body adiposity measured with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to measure fat mass and anthropometry to measure weight, BMI, and waist circumference (Aim 1) and 2) adolescent and parent diet quality scores measured from dietary recalls using the 2020 Healthy Eating Index during the intervention (Aim 2). Post-intervention family focus groups will be conducted to understand how individual/family needs and preferences and SDOH may be perceived barriers or facilitators of diet adherence in families (Aim 3). Feasibility, acceptability, enrollment, retention, and diet satisfaction data will be generated to establish successful benchmarks to support future studies. Participants randomized to the intervention will receive bi- weekly food delivery, menus, and dietetic support for 8 weeks. Participants randomized to the usual care group will receive dietetic counseling on MyPlate. The successful completion of this study will result in the generation of quantitative and qualitative data to support a future R01 that will test the long-term effectiveness of a whole foods diet on obesity and metabolic outcomes, and diet sustainability in adolescents with obesity and their families.

Conditions

• Obesity, Childhood
• Diet, Healthy
• Body Weight Changes

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Whole Foods MyPlate Group	Families will receive 4-weeks of rotating menus that have been designed as a part of our preliminary work and will be adapted to support adherence with the adolescent in mind (e.g., school lunch options, on-the-go snacks). Menus and diet recommendations will align with the current macronutrient nutritional goals outlined by the 2020-2025 DGA for age-sex groups. Participants will be encouraged to eat ad libitum (i.e., as desired until full) without calorie restrictions. MyPlate will be used by participants to implement the diet. During the study, adolescents and adults in the intervention group will receive a MyPlate Plan to support daily food group and macronutrient goals that align with the whole foods diet per caloric needs.

Timeline

• Start date: 2025-03-24
• Primary completion: 2026-12-31
• Completion: 2027-04-30
• First posted: 2024-06-18
• Last updated: 2026-03-23

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States