Penn State University

This study looks at whether eating pecans instead of snacks high in bad fats and sugar can improve blood sugar and heart health in people with prediabetes. About 147 adults aged 25-65 with prediabetes will either eat 1.5 ounces of pecans daily for 16 weeks or stick to their usual…

This study compares the effects of healthy diets containing cottonseed oil versus other common plant oils on heart health markers like cholesterol. Researchers will enroll 52 adults with elevated LDL cholesterol and overweight. Participants will follow each diet for 4 weeks in a …

This study tests a digital platform called HMZ 2.0 that helps pregnant women with overweight or obesity manage their weight gain. 144 women will be randomly assigned to use the platform or receive standard pregnancy advice. The platform tracks weight, activity, and eating, and of…

This study tests a program called Healthy Family Foundations for military families expecting their first child. The program includes 10 online group classes (5 before birth, 5 after) to help parents support each other with healthy eating, activity, and parenting. Researchers will…

This study tests whether a parent-education program called Thrive Initiative can help prevent child maltreatment and improve parenting. Researchers will compare a hybrid version (online plus group sessions) to an online-only version. The study involves 480 U.S. Air Force members …

This study tests whether eating 5-6 prunes daily for 18 months can prevent the rapid bone loss that often happens during menopause. Researchers will compare bone density, inflammation, and gut health in 124 women aged 44-55 who either eat prunes or avoid them. If successful, this…

This study looks at whether playing pickleball twice a week for 8 weeks can improve movement, sleep, mood, and core autism traits in adults aged 18-45 with autism spectrum disorder. Participants are randomly assigned to start pickleball right away or after a delay. The goal is to…

This study tests a program called Family Foundations for Special Education (FF-SE) for co-parents of children with disabilities who are entering the special education system. The program includes six virtual learning sessions to help parents understand the system, communicate bet…

This study looks at how estrogen levels affect the way women's bodies handle heat stress. Researchers will compare premenopausal and postmenopausal women aged 42-64, using drugs to temporarily adjust estrogen levels. The goal is to understand why older women are at higher risk du…

This study looks at why some children are less affected by food advertising than others. Researchers will use brain scans and eating tests in 200 kids aged 7-9 to find traits that protect against overeating. The goal is to understand what makes certain children resilient to food-…

This study uses brain scans (fMRI) to see what happens in the brain just before a smoker lapses (takes a cigarette during a quit attempt). Researchers will have 150 smokers complete a task where they can delay smoking for money, while their brain activity and feelings are measure…

This study looks at how people with ALS and their caregivers communicate verbally. Researchers will record conversations and measure speech clarity, sentence complexity, and pauses. The goal is to understand how communication changes over time. 152 participants will take part in …

This study looks at how 100 children aged 6-9 with obesity eat in a lab compared to at home. Researchers want to see if eating styles observed in a lab are the same as in real life, and how the home food environment affects eating. The goal is to better understand what drives ove…

This study tests whether daily nurse screening for delirium using a tool called UB-CAM can improve detection and reduce complications in hospitalized adults aged 70 and older. About 1,050 patients across three hospitals will take part. Researchers will measure how accurate the sc…

This study at Penn State University will have 1,300 listeners judge recordings of speech from people with ALS and healthy speakers. The goal is to see how different conversation tasks affect how clearly someone with ALS is understood. No treatment is involved; this is purely obse…

This study looks at how adults with depression respond to heat stress compared to those without depression. Researchers will measure skin blood flow, sweating, and core temperature during passive heating. The goal is to understand if depression or antidepressant medications like …

This study looks at how well older adults can handle heat and humidity. Researchers will have 190 participants exercise in different conditions to find the point where their body can no longer cool itself. The goal is to identify dangerous temperature and humidity combinations to…

This study looks at how GLP-1 medications (like Ozempic or Wegovy) affect people's attitudes toward food and what they choose to eat. Researchers will use a virtual reality buffet to measure food selections before starting the medication and again after three months. The goal is …