Growing Well Study

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Growing Well Study: the role of portion size, plant-based foods and commercially manufactured foods and drinks.

• IRAS ID

  347332

• Contact name

  Diane Threapleton

• Contact email

  d.e.threapleton@leeds.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Leeds

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 2 months, 27 days

• Research summary

  What are the study aims?
  To understand more about eating habits and age-appropriate food/drink portion sizes of children aged 6 months-5 years old, and how this affects their growth and dental health.
  
  Why is this research important?
  Healthy diets in early years are important for growth and development. However, clear guidance for parents on what and how much children should eat is missing due to lack of up-to-date information.

  What will we do?
  Information will be collected at two time points. At baseline, parents/guardians of children aged 6 months-4 years from Leeds, Doncaster and East London will complete questionnaires about their child’s sociodemographic information and food intake. They will be asked to record what their child eats for three separate one-day periods using an online system called ‘myfood24’. Parents will also attend one in-person session for measuring their child’s length/height, weight, and waist circumference.

  At follow-up one year later, parents/guardians will complete surveys again, with another in-person session to look at growth and assess dental health.

  What do we expect to achieve and what happens next?
  We want to understand how growth and dental health are influenced by nutrient intakes, dietary patterns, and portion sizes for key food groups. We will also identify how much of different foods children should be eating, and whether commercial foods and sweet drinks are relevant.

  We will explore which dietary factors can support healthier children; and how low intakes of key foods or vitamins/minerals in vulnerable groups could be redressed. The study will provide unique information, allowing for development of recommendations for parents and policy-makers on age-appropriate portions, on achieving good nutrition in UK children and within special dietary groups, and on dietary considerations in caring for children’s teeth.

• REC name

  East Midlands - Nottingham 2 Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  25/EM/0233

• Date of REC Opinion

  9 Oct 2025

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion