# Behavioral and Biological Rhythms in Children's Obesity-Related Health Disparities

> **NIH NIH R01** · TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH · 2024 · $617,957

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Pediatric obesity is considered an epidemic with striking disparities by socioeconomic status (SES). There is
therefore a pressing need to identify novel, modifiable risk factors for obesity prevention and treatment in
children, particularly those who are at greater risk. Compelling evidence that is rooted in circadian biology and
our understanding of circadian rhythms, and is supported by emerging work with rodents and adults suggests
that in addition to focusing on how much we engage in eating, activity and sleep behaviors, it may also be
important to understand the timing and consistency with which we engage in these behaviors (i.e., behavioral
rhythms) for obesity risk reduction. Mounting evidence demonstrates that behavioral rhythms that are aligned
with underlying circadian rhythms, such as sleeping during the biological night and eating during the biological
day are associated with improved metabolic processes and weight regulation. Although less is known
regarding how behavioral rhythms may optimize weight regulation in children, findings from related lines of
pediatric research support those with rodents and adults and highlight the potential importance of behavioral
rhythms for excess weight gain prevention. Understanding the role of behavioral rhythms in weight regulation
for children from lower SES backgrounds may be particularly important given that they may be at greater risk
for disruptions to behavioral rhythms due to economic adversity and neighborhood disadvantage, placing them
at increased risk for excess weight gain. Further, understanding associations between SES, behavioral
rhythms and weight regulation in young school-aged children focuses on a time period when a number of
health behaviors that carry through adolescence are shaped and thus may represent an opportune time for
optimizing weight regulation. The present study therefore proposes to enroll 176 children 5-8 years old from
diverse SES backgrounds into a 16-month observational study. Children will complete five 10-day
assessments across the study (baseline, 4, 8, 12, and 16 months) during which the following will be measured:
timing and consistency of sleep (via actigraphy), timing and distribution of eating (via 24-hour dietary recalls),
timing and consistency of physical and sedentary activities (via accelerometry and self-report), timing of the
circadian clock (dim light melatonin onset; DLMO), measures of the home and neighborhood environment, and
anthropometrics (height, weight, adiposity). The primary aims of this proposed work are to assess: a) how
behavioral rhythms affect body mass index (BMI) trajectories in children, and b) how SES affects behavioral
rhythms and thus BMI trajectories. Secondary aims will assess how circadian factors (i.e., circadian phase and
circadian phase angle) and the household and neighborhood environments affect behavioral rhythms.
Exploratory aims will also assess the relative influence of behavioral, circ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10844520
- **Project number:** 5R01DK130323-04
- **Recipient organization:** TEMPLE UNIV OF THE COMMONWEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Chantelle Nobile Hart
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $617,957
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-23 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10844520

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10844520, Behavioral and Biological Rhythms in Children's Obesity-Related Health Disparities (5R01DK130323-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-27 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10844520. Licensed CC0.

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