The MB-EAT Smart Teen Study

Launched by GARY GOLDFIELD · Aug 18, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, called the MB-EAT Smart Teen Study, is testing a special app designed to help teens aged 12 to 17.5 who are living with obesity or are overweight. The app is based on a program called Mindfulness-Based Eating Awareness Training (MB-EAT), which teaches people how to pay attention to their hunger and fullness signals and make healthier eating choices without strict dieting. The study will first check if the app is easy to use and if teens stay engaged with it. Then, in a bigger part of the study, teens will be randomly assigned to either use the MB-EAT app or another educational app for 12 weeks to see if the MB-EAT app helps reduce overeating and improves mood, self-control around food, and overall well-being.

To join this study, teens need to be between 12 and 17.5 years old, have access to a smartphone or tablet with internet, and be on a waitlist or recently placed on a waitlist for treatment at a specific health center in Canada. Teens currently in therapy or other weight programs, or those with certain medical or developmental conditions, cannot join. Participants will spend about 60 to 90 minutes a week using the app and may be invited to share their thoughts about the program afterward. This study could offer a helpful new tool for young people struggling with weight by supporting healthier eating habits and emotional health in a way that fits into their daily lives.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Have access to a mobile/tablet device with internet access
• • Are aged 12-17.5 years
• • Are waitlisted or have recently been waitlised for treatment at CHAL at CHEO
• • Are willing and capable to sign consent/assent forms
• • Have the ability to complete the study in English
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Are currently enrolled in psychotherapy or a weight management program
• • Have previously been diagnosed with Bulimia Nervosa, purging subtype
• • Have previously been diagnosed with a condition that may impair cognition and neurodevelopment, particularly Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Down Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, and Fragile X Syndrome
• • Have previously been diagnosed with ASD
• • Have had a concussion or brain injury in the past 6-months.