ObesityNCT07437976
A Natural History of Genetic and Environmental Predictors of Pubertal Timing Among Youth With Obesity
An observational study of Obesity, run by National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Background: Obesity affects 1 in 5 children in the United States. Childhood obesity often persists into adolescence and adulthood. It can also raise the risk of sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, and fluid buildup in the brain and lead to early-onset puberty. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 5 to 12 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Obesity
- What is being tested?
- Weight loss intervention and No Weight loss intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- How many people
- 400 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 28 Oct 2026to 23 Dec 2036
- Phase
- Observational
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 5 to 12 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child
Study population: Children from the community and the Obesity Weight Management Clinic within the greater Raleigh, Durham, Chapell Hill North Carolina area.
Who may be able to join
- To be eligible to participate in this study, an individual must meet all of the following criteria:
- Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study, including sharing medical records
- Male or female, aged 5 to 7 years at the screening visit
- Normal weight (defined as BMI > 5th percentile and <85th percentile for age and sex) or Obese weight (defined as BMI > 95th percentile for age and sex)
- Ability of parent or guardian to understand and willingness to sign a written informed consent document. And ability of the participant (child) to provide verbal assent and/or to sign a written assent document.
Who cannot join
- An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in this study:
- Known diagnosis of syndromic/genetic form of obesity
- Current use of medications or supplements that affect reproductive hormones (e.g., estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, puberty blockers, regular use of lavender oil or tea tree oil)
- Chronic medical conditions (e.g., type 1 or type 2 diabetes, cancer, renal failure, lupus, etc.), at the discretion of the Principal Investigator
- Clinically significant abnormal laboratory values, at the discretion of the Principal Investigator
- International adoptee (associated with earlier puberty)
- Individuals who do not meet the criteria for participation in this study (screen failure) because of an acute, reversible or transient medical reason may be rescreened upon reversal, improvement or stabilization of their clinical status. Participants who develop an acute, reversible or transient medical condition during the study may return upon reversal, improvement or stabilization of their clinical status.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
United States1 site
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Clinical Research Unit
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709
Natalie Shaw, M.D., 984-287-3716, natalie.shaw@nih.gov
About this study
Background:
Obesity affects 1 in 5 children in the United States. Childhood obesity often persists into adolescence and adulthood. It can also raise the risk of sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, and fluid buildup in the brain and lead to early-onset puberty. This natural history study will explore how factors such as genes, hormones, diet, and chemical exposures affect puberty in children with obesity.
Read more
Objective:
To learn which factors predict the early start of puberty in children with obesity vs those of normal weight.
Eligibility:
Children aged 5 to 7 years with obesity or of normal weight.
Design:
Participants will have clinic visits every 6 months until they reach age 12.
Each clinic visit will include these tests and procedures:
A physical exam.
Collection of blood, urine, and saliva samples. Some samples will be used for genetic tests.
Questions about medical history and medications and supplements.
A questionnaire about their physical activity over the previous week.
A silicone wrist band. Participants will wear a soft wristband for a week prior to each visit. It will tell researchers what chemicals the children were exposed to during that time.
Breast ultrasound, for girls. A gel will be applied, and a wand will be pressed against the skin. The wand uses sound waves to see the tissue inside the breast.
DXA whole body scan. Once a year, participants will have a DXA (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry) scan. This scan measures the amount of bone, muscle, and fat in the body.
Optional food diary. Parents may record everything the participant eats for two 24-hour periods
...
Read the detailed description
Study Description:
This is a longitudinal study to predict pubertal timing in 5-12-year-old girls and boys with obesity. We hypothesize that: 1) Children with obesity with exposure to estrogenic environmental compounds will demonstrate earlier puberty than those without such an exposure. 2) A polygenic risk score (PRS) of alleles that confer risk for voice break in boys will associate with age at Tanner II pubertal development in boys with obesity. 3) A polygenic risk score (PRS) of alleles that confer risk for menarche in girls will associate with age at stage II pubertal development in girls with obesity. 4) Children with obesity who demonstrate a decrease in BMI percentile of > 5 percentage points will demonstrate later stage II pubertal development than children with no change or an increase in BMI percentile but will demonstrate earlier pubertal development than peers of normal weight.
Objectives:
- Primary Objective: To identify predictors of pubertal timing in 5-12-year old children with obesity.
- Secondary Objectives: To determine the effect of obesity on reproductive hormones and adrenarche.
Endpoints:
- Primary Endpoint: pubertal markers by questionnaire, physical exam (testicular volume, breast development), and ultrasound (breast morphological stage). Pubertal development will be defined as breast morphological stage B and a testicular volume of 4 cc.
- Secondary Endpoints: Tanner pubic hair staging, reproductive hormones (luteinizing hormone (LH), Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estradiol, total testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), androstenedione)
- Conditions
- Obesity
- Being tested
- Weight loss intervention, No Weight loss intervention
- Keywords
- ADRENARCHE, Obesity, Reproductive Hormones, Puberty, Environmental predictors
- Medical subject headings
- Obesity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Weight loss interventionBehavioural
Pediatric Weight Management Clinic, which utilizes multiple, individualized strategies to effect weight loss (such as nutrition, behavioral therapy, exercise programs)
No Weight loss interventionBehavioural
No strategies for weight loss
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Normal weight children | BMI > 5th percentile and <85th percentile for age and sex Receives: Behavioral: No Weight loss intervention | |
| Obese weight children | BMI > 95th percentile for age and sex Receives: Behavioral: Weight loss intervention; Behavioral: No Weight loss intervention |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
To identify predictors of pubertal timing in 5-12-year-old children with obesity
- pubertal markers by questionnaire, physical exam (testicular volume, Tanner breast staging), and 2. ultrasound (breast morphological stage).
Measured: 1. Every 6 months2. Every 6 - 12 months, investigator discretion
Secondary outcomes (1)
To determine the effect of obesity on reproductive hormones and adrenarche.
Tanner pubic hair staging, reproductive hormones
Measured: Every 6 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted27 Feb 2026
- Study start28 Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion23 Dec 2036 (estimated)
- Study completion23 Dec 2036 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for ObesityStudies 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
- Observational
- Observational model
- Cohort
- Time perspective
- Prospective
- Enrolment
- 400 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
- Sponsor type
- US National Institutes of Health
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Natalie D Shaw, M.D., Principal investigator, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07437976
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 10002237
- Other IDs
- 002237-E
- Status last verified
- 23 Feb 2026
- First submitted
- 26 Feb 2026
- Last updated
- 23 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Deidentified/coded Individual participant data: Demographics, Clinical Data (medical history, medications, phenotypic data, questionnaire data, physical exam, lab tests), Genomic Data (DNA and RNA sequencing), Exposomic data, and Metabolomic data.
Publications
Li W, Liu Q, Deng X, Chen Y, Liu S, Story M. Association between Obesity and Puberty Timing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2017 Oct 24;14(10):1266. doi: 10.3390/ijerph14101266.
PubMed 29064384Ortega MT, McGrath JA, Carlson L, Flores Poccia V, Larson G, Douglas C, Sun BZ, Zhao S, Beery B, Vesper HW, Duke L, Botelho JC, Filie AC, Shaw ND. Longitudinal Investigation of Pubertal Milestones and Hormones as a Function of Body Fat in Girls. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021 May 13;106(6):1668-1683. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgab092.
PubMed 33630047Carlson L, Flores Poccia V, Sun BZ, Mosley B, Kirste I, Rice A, Sridhar R, Kangarloo T, Vesper HW, Duke L, Botelho JC, Filie AC, Adams JM, Shaw ND. Early breast development in overweight girls: does estrogen made by adipose tissue play a role? Int J Obes (Lond). 2019 Oct;43(10):1978-1987. doi: 10.1038/s41366-019-0446-5. Epub 2019 Aug 28.
PubMed 31462689