An interventional study of HEALTHY EATING GAME in Child Nutrition, Feeding Behavior and Emotional Eating, sponsored by Gazi University. Completed at 1 site in Turkey (Türkiye). Open to participants aged 9 Years to 11 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-10-05.
Sponsored by Gazi University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention
Primary health care is a comprehensive, community-based approach that aims to maximize health, well-being, and their equitable distribution through three main components (WHO, 2025). Its key components, identified at the Alma-Ata Conference, include health education; environmental sanitation, particularly food and water; maternal and child health programs, including immunization and family planning; prevention of endemic diseases; appropriate treatment of common diseases and injuries; provision of essential medicines; promotion of healthy nutrition; and mental health promotion (Eren, 1982).
It is anticipated that a study aimed at fostering healthy eating habits in children through the use of therapeutic play methods will raise family awareness, facilitate the delivery of effective health education to children, highlight the role of nurses in safeguarding child health, and ultimately improve public health.
This study was conducted to determine the effect of the therapeutic play method-applied within the scope of primary health care services in schools-on children's emotional eating behaviors and to foster their belief in their ability to make healthy food choices.
Research Hypotheses H1: The mean total scores on the emotional eating scale for children in the intervention group are lower than those for the control group.
H2: : The mean total scores on the food behaviour scale for children in the intervention group are higher than those for the control group.
Variables of the Study Independent variables The independent variables of the study are the children's socio-demographic characteristics (age, gender).
On the first day, the children were asked to complete the 'Child and Family Information Form', the 'Eating Behaviour Scale' and the Emotional Eating Scale for Children and Adolescents.
A three-week program will be administered to the intervention group by the researchers.
A 3-week gamified healthy eating program was implemented for children in the intervention group. In the first week, children used green and red cards to identify whether nutrition-related statements were true or false, followed by explanations of the correct information by the researcher.
In the second week, a "Nutrition Heroes" game was conducted. Children matched foods with related nutrients, such as fish with omega-3 and protein, and participated in a group puzzle competition to identify healthy foods.
In the third week, activities focused on emotional eating awareness. Children watched a video about emotions, discussed their feelings, and participated interactively in a story about emotional eating. These activities aimed to improve children's healthy eating knowledge and awareness of the relationship between emotions and eating behavior.
Study design The study was conducted as a randomised controlled trial Research Population and Sample Selection The sample consisted of Year 3 and Year 4 pupils attending Alpaslan Primary School in the province of Ankara.
Inclusion Criteria Pupils able to read and write in Turkish
Pupils in Years 3 and 4 of primary school Children and their families who agreed to take part in the study, Those who do not visit a dietitian Exclusion Criteria Having a diagnosed psychological condition Withdrawal Criteria Those unable to participate fully in the programme Those who did not complete the questionnaires
40 studies on the registry are indexed under Emotional Eating; 12 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 116 is above the median of 65 across 33 interventional studies indexed under Emotional Eating.
Browse Emotional Eating studies →Gazi University is the lead sponsor of 551 studies on the registry; 102 are open to participants now.
Compared within Emotional Eating, this study's primary condition as ClinicalTrials.gg classifies it; the registry's first condition term is Feeding Behavior. The counts are of registry records indexed under each term, refreshed daily. How we classify →
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Withdrawal Criteria
The group that followed a three-week healthy eating programme
Behavioral: HEALTHY EATING GAME
The control group will not take part in the healthy eating game. Once the study has been completed, they will receive one week of healthy eating education.
A gamified educational programme focusing on healthy eating and emotional eating behaviours was delivered to the intervention group over a three-week period. The programme consisted of: in Week 1, true-false nutrition cards; in Week 2, food-vitamin/mineral matching exercises and a healthy eating puzzle; and in Week 3, an emotional awareness video and interactive storytelling activities on the topic of emotional eating.
Child Food Behaviour Scale (FBS) score
Evaluates children's food consumption habits using a 14-item pictorial scale. Each item compares healthy (+1) and unhealthy (-1) food options. The total score ranges from -14 to +14, with higher scores indicating healthier eating habits.
Time frame: Change from baseline at 3 weeks
Emotional Eating Scale for Children and Adolescents (EES-C) score
ssesses emotional eating behaviors in children and adolescents across 25 scored items. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 ("I want to eat very little") to 5 ("I want to eat excessively"). Total scores range from 25 to 125, with higher scores indicating an increase in eating behavior in response to negative emotional states.
Time frame: Change from baseline at 3 weeks
Plan to share: No
Ran from Mar 2026 to primary completion in Sep 2026, 6 months.
Of 25 interventional studies with no phase under Emotional Eating, half reached primary completion within 8 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 3 and three quarters within 14. This study's 6 months is below that.
Since we started tracking on Sep 25, 2026, the dates moved once, on Oct 5, 2026: start Jan 2026 → Mar 2026, primary completion Jun 2026 → Sep 2026 and completion Jun 2026 → Sep 2026.
Earlier changes are on the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
From the registry record's own update history. This site started tracking changes on Sep 25, 2026; for anything earlier, see the record history on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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