Dietary HabitsNCT07027865
Sip and Snack Better (SSB) Study: Improving Added Sugar in Adolescents
A study testing Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Intervention and Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Tech-Only Comparison in people with Dietary Habits and Diet, Healthy, run by Temple University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Teens consume more added sugar than any other age group. Too much added sugar is associated with poor diet quality, obesity risk, and negative cardiometabolic outcomes. Behavioral interventions to improve dietary intake are needed, but are currently lacking for this age group. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 12 to 16 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Dietary Habits, Diet, Healthy
- What is being tested?
- Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Intervention and Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Tech-Only Comparison
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 30 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 24 Jun 2025to 23 Apr 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 12 to 16 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Who may be able to join
- Parent is 18 years or older, and the legal guardian of the adolescent
- Adolescent is between the ages of 12 and 16 years
- Parents and adolescents have the ability to read, write, and understand English
- Adolescents have a cell phone and are willing to use it to receive text messages and answer survey questions
- Parents and adolescents live in the Philadelphia region and can attend in-person visits at the research center in North Philadelphia
- Parents and adolescents can access video communication platforms (i.e., Zoom) via phone or computer
- Parents and adolescents are willing to be randomized to either treatment condition
- Adolescents exceed daily recommendations for added sugar intake (as assessed by dietary screener)
Who cannot join
- Adolescent has a medical condition that influences weight status or added sugar intake (e.g., Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes)
- Adolescent has a psychological or psychiatric condition that prevents study participation without individualized support (e.g., autism spectrum disorder)
- Adolescent has been diagnosed with or has received/is receiving treatment for an eating disorder
- Adolescent has been diagnosed with or has received/is receiving treatment for depression
- Adolescent has dietary restrictions, dietary prescriptions, or dietary goals given by a health care provider that would influence weight or added sugar intake
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Center for Obesity Research and Education
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19140
About this study
Official title: Targeting Added Sugar to Improve Dietary Intake in High-risk Adolescents
Teens consume more added sugar than any other age group. Too much added sugar is associated with poor diet quality, obesity risk, and negative cardiometabolic outcomes. Behavioral interventions to improve dietary intake are needed, but are currently lacking for this age group. This study aims to test how feasible, acceptable, and effective a 12-week contextually-tailored health coaching program, called Sip \& Snack Better (SSB), is in reducing added sugar in teens, compared to a technology-only comparison. It will provide important information on how to improve dietary intake and reduce added sugar in teens. Additionally, measuring diet is very challenging in teens, so this study will also test the use of an objective biomarker (called the carbon isotope ratio (CIR)) as a measure of added sugar intake before, during, and after the 12-week study.
- Conditions
- Dietary Habits, Diet, Healthy
- Being tested
- Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Intervention, Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Tech-Only Comparison
- Keywords
- dietary intake, added sugar, adolescents, behavior change, dietary intake assessment
- Medical subject headings
- Feeding Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Sip & Snack Better (SSB) InterventionBehavioural
Participants (teens 12-16 years) and their parent or legal guardian will participate in a 12-week health coaching intervention to reduce added sugar intake. Parents and teens will participate in 6 health coaching sessions (in weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12; 30-45 minutes, online via Zoom). Teens will participate in four in-person groups sessions (in weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8) and receive text-messages to reinforce intervention content.
Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Tech-Only ComparisonOther
Participants (teens 12-16 years) and their parent or legal guardian will participate in a 12-week technology-only comparison arm. Parents and teens will receive information about added sugar intake and healthy eating once via email or text message (based on preference) in weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12. Teens will receive informational text messages 3 times per week .
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Health Coaching Behavioral Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral intervention using health coaching and technology to improve dietary intake Receives: Behavioral: Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Intervention |
| Technology-Only Comparison | Other | Digitally-delivered nutrition education only comparison arm Receives: Other: Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Tech-Only Comparison |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Changes in Added Sugar Intake
Change in added sugar intake will be assessed using the carbon isotope ratio (CIR) as a objective measure of added sugar intake via breath, blood, and hair samples taken at baseline and post-intervention. Intent-to-treat analyses will be conducted using linear regression models to examine changes in CIR between intervention and control participants. A lower (i.e., more negative) CIR value indicates lower added sugar intake.
Measured: Baseline to 12-weeks
Intervention Feasibility
Feasibility will be assessed by session attendance (>75%) and retention (>80%) over the 12-week study.
Measured: Baseline to 12-weeks
Intervention Acceptability
Participants will report acceptability (>80% rating of 4 or 5 on Likert scale questions) on a post-intervention acceptability questionnaire
Measured: Baseline to 12-weeks
Secondary outcomes (1)
Changes in Diet Quality
Changes in diet quality will be assessed via Healthy Eating Index (HEI) derived from three 24-hour dietary recalls at baseline and post-intervention. HEI is scored on a scale from 0 to 100 with higher scores indicating higher diet quality.
Measured: Baseline to 12-weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 Jun 2025
- Study start24 Jun 2025
- Primary completion23 Apr 2026
- Study completion23 Apr 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Dietary HabitsStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Temple University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07027865
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 28611
- Other IDs
- K01HL153783, R03HL171171
- Status last verified
- Apr 2026
- First submitted
- 20 May 2025
- Last updated
- 5 May 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 5 May 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Targeting Added Sugar to Improve Dietary Intake in High-risk Adolescents
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07027865
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 28611
- Conditions
- Dietary Habits, Diet, Healthy
- Keywords
- dietary intake, added sugar, adolescents, behavior change, dietary intake assessment
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 30 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Temple UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
- Study start
- 24 Jun 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 23 Apr 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 23 Apr 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 19 Jun 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Teens consume more added sugar than any other age group. Too much added sugar is associated with poor diet quality, obesity risk, and negative cardiometabolic outcomes. Behavioral interventions to improve dietary intake are needed, but are currently lacking for this age group. This study aims to test how feasible, acceptable, and effective a 12-week contextually-tailored health coaching program, called Sip \& Snack Better (SSB), is in reducing added sugar in teens, compared to a technology-only comparison. It will provide important information on how to improve dietary intake and reduce added sugar in teens. Additionally, measuring diet is very challenging in teens, so this study will also test the use of an objective biomarker (called the carbon isotope ratio (CIR)) as a measure of added sugar intake before, during, and after the 12-week study.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Health Coaching Behavioral Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Sip & Snack Better (SSB) InterventionBehavioral intervention using health coaching and technology to improve dietary intake |
| Technology-Only Comparison | Other | Other: Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Tech-Only ComparisonDigitally-delivered nutrition education only comparison arm |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 12 to 16 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Key inclusion criteria (8 listed)
- Parent is 18 years or older, and the legal guardian of the adolescent
- Adolescent is between the ages of 12 and 16 years
- Parents and adolescents have the ability to read, write, and understand English
- Adolescents have a cell phone and are willing to use it to receive text messages and answer survey questions
- Parents and adolescents live in the Philadelphia region and can attend in-person visits at the research center in North Philadelphia
Key exclusion criteria (5 listed)
- Adolescent has a medical condition that influences weight status or added sugar intake (e.g., Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes)
- Adolescent has a psychological or psychiatric condition that prevents study participation without individualized support (e.g., autism spectrum disorder)
- Adolescent has been diagnosed with or has received/is receiving treatment for an eating disorder
- Adolescent has been diagnosed with or has received/is receiving treatment for depression
- Adolescent has dietary restrictions, dietary prescriptions, or dietary goals given by a health care provider that would influence weight or added sugar intake
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Sip & Snack Better (SSB) InterventionParticipants (teens 12-16 years) and their parent or legal guardian will participate in a 12-week health coaching intervention to reduce added sugar intake. Parents and teens will participate in 6 health coaching sessions (in weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12; 30-45 minutes, online via Zoom). Teens will participate in four in-person groups sessions (in weeks 2, 4, 6, and 8) and receive text-messages to reinforce intervention content. | Behavioural | Health Coaching Behavioral Intervention |
| Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Tech-Only ComparisonParticipants (teens 12-16 years) and their parent or legal guardian will participate in a 12-week technology-only comparison arm. Parents and teens will receive information about added sugar intake and healthy eating once via email or text message (based on preference) in weeks 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, and 12. Teens will receive informational text messages 3 times per week . | Other | Technology-Only Comparison |
Primary outcome
Changes in Added Sugar Intake
Time frame: Baseline to 12-weeks
Change in added sugar intake will be assessed using the carbon isotope ratio (CIR) as a objective measure of added sugar intake via breath, blood, and hair samples taken at baseline and post-intervention. Intent-to-treat analyses will be conducted using linear regression models to examine changes in CIR between intervention and control participants. A lower (i.e., more negative) CIR value indicates lower added sugar intake.
Intervention Feasibility
Time frame: Baseline to 12-weeks
Feasibility will be assessed by session attendance (>75%) and retention (>80%) over the 12-week study.
Intervention Acceptability
Time frame: Baseline to 12-weeks
Participants will report acceptability (>80% rating of 4 or 5 on Likert scale questions) on a post-intervention acceptability questionnaire
1 secondary outcome
Changes in Diet Quality
Time frame: Baseline to 12-weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 5 May 2026.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Intervention and Sip & Snack Better (SSB) Tech-Only Comparison in people with Dietary Habits and Diet, Healthy, run by Temple University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 8 inclusion and 5 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 5 May 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Changes in Added Sugar Intake (time frame: Baseline to 12-weeks). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 5 May 2026.