# The Intersection between Loss of Control Eating and Obesity: The Role of Restriction and Food Reinforcement.

> **NIH NIH K01** · STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO · 2020 · $148,797

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This proposal is for a Mentored Research Scientist Development Award (K01) for Katherine Balantekin, PhD,
RD. Training: My long-term career goal is to be an independent investigator studying ingestive behavior and
obesity risk factors in children and adolescents with co-morbid overweight/obesity and disordered eating. The
proposed K01 will help achieve this by providing training, experience, and mentorship in the areas of: 1)
identification of novel treatment targets for those with comorbid overweight/obesity and disordered eating; 2)
applying basic behavioral science principles towards understanding ingestive behavior; 3) translating findings
from lab-based studies into interventions; 4) evaluating how behavioral phenotypes influence obesity risk over
time. This K01 will provide me with the protected time to receive the necessary training to enhance my
expertise in these four areas and will propel me to becoming an independent research scientist focused on the
intersection of obesity and disordered eating. Research: Overweight/obesity among children is a major public
health problem, and children with overweight/obesity are at increased risk for both medical and psychological
co-morbidities. Disordered eating begins in childhood, and often manifests as loss of control (LOC) eating,
especially in children with overweight/obesity. Children with LOC eating, or the feeling that one cannot control
what or how much one is eating, are at increased risk for obesity. However, less is known about mechanisms
that increase this risk. Both parental restriction and the relative reinforcing value (RRV) of food, or the
motivation to obtain food, are independently associated with child overweight/obesity, and preliminary work
suggests that both may also be related to the development and/or maintenance of LOC. The proposed K01 is
designed to explore the relationships among LOC eating, exposure to parental restriction, and RRV of food
with respect to obesity risk. Summary: Findings from this study will help identify potential targets for a NIDDK
R03 grant application to pilot the efficacy of an obesity prevention trial for children with disordered eating at risk
for obesity. This K01 will provide me with the training and expertise in identifying behavioral phenotypes for
treatment targets, applying basic behavioral science principles towards understanding ingestive behavior,
translational science, and acquiring knowledge about novel statistical approaches to analyzing longitudinal
data and ingestive behavior data. At the end of this award, I will be an independent research scientist studying
ingestive behavior at the intersection of obesity and disordered eating.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9892563
- **Project number:** 1K01DK120778-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO
- **Principal Investigator:** Katherine Naime Balantekin
- **Activity code:** K01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $148,797
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2025-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9892563

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9892563, The Intersection between Loss of Control Eating and Obesity: The Role of Restriction and Food Reinforcement. (1K01DK120778-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9892563. Licensed CC0.

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