Diet QualityNCT07862556
The Effects of an Evening Snack of Walnuts on Diet and Sleep Quality in Adolescents
A study testing Walnuts in people with Diet Quality and Sleep, run by Penn State University at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this study is to examine whether an evening snack of 1 oz of walnuts consumed in place of usual evening snacks for 4 weeks has a beneficial effect on diet quality and sleep quality in adolescents age 13-17 years. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 13 to 17 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Diet Quality, Sleep
- What is being tested?
- Walnuts
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 80 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Jan 2027to May 2028
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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 13 to 17 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child
Adolescent Inclusion Criteria:
- Age 13 to 17 years
- Enrolled in school (secondary education) that has defined start and end times (i.e., traditional in-person school or home/virtual school with a consistent schedule)
- Consumes snacks in the evening (between dinner and sleep) on most nights
- Able to read and answer questions in English
Adolescent Exclusion Criteria:
- Sleep disorder (e.g., insomnia, sleep disordered breathing, narcolepsy)
- Developmental disorder (e.g., autism, intellectual disability, developmental delay)
- Diabetes
- Any other medical condition impacting sleep or diet
- Taking supplements or medications that affect sleep or eating behavior, including melatonin supplements
- Current allergy or history of allergy to tree nuts or peanuts (any severity)
- Other current severe food allergies
- Unwilling to consume walnuts daily
- Already consumes tree nuts 1 or more times per week
- Parent/guardian not willing to participate
Parent Inclusion Criteria
- Parent/guardian of a participating adolescent
- Age 18 years or older
- Able to read and answer questions in English
There are no additional exclusion criteria for parents
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
Penn State University
University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802
Emily E Hohman, PhD, 814-865-5245, eeh12@psu.edu
Lindsey B Hess, MPH, 814-865-5245, lbb135@psu.edu
About this study
The goal of this study is to examine whether an evening snack of 1 oz of walnuts consumed in place of usual evening snacks for 4 weeks has a beneficial effect on diet quality and sleep quality in adolescents age 13-17 years.
Read the detailed description
The goal of this study is to test the effects of an evening snack of 1 oz walnuts for four weeks, compared to habitual snacking behavior, on adolescent diet quality and sleep quality. Adolescents (age 13-17 years) will be assigned to complete the walnut intervention and habitual snack condition in a randomized, counterbalanced order, separated by a 4-week washout. Dietary quality will be measured using 24-hour recalls and the Healthy Eating Index, and sleep quality will be measured using actigraphy and daily survey reports of subjective sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. We hypothesize that during the walnut snacking condition, adolescents will have higher HEI scores and intakes of walnut-related nutrients, and higher sleep maintenance efficiency and subjective sleep quality, compared to during the habitual snack condition.
- Conditions
- Diet Quality, Sleep
- Being tested
- Walnuts, Control (usual diet)
- Keywords
- walnuts, sleep, diet quality, adolescents, snacking
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
WalnutsOther
Participants will replace their usual evening snack(s) with 1 oz of walnuts each evening for 4 weeks.
Control (usual diet)Other
Participants will maintain their usual snacking behavior/diet
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Walnut then Control | Other | Participants will complete the walnut intervention first and the control period second Receives: Other: Walnuts; Other: Control (usual diet) |
| Control then Walnut | Other | Participants will complete the control period first and the walnut period second Receives: Other: Walnuts; Other: Control (usual diet) |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Health Eating Index score
Healthy Eating Index will be calculated from 24-hour recalls completed using the NIH ASA-24 system. The effect of the intervention will be determined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
Measured: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Sleep maintenance efficiency
Sleep maintenance efficiency is a metric of sleep quality that is defined as the percentage of the overnight sleep interval that is spent actually asleep. Sleep maintenance efficiency will be measured using wrist actigraphy over 2-week periods at baseline and post-intervention for both the walnut intervention period and habitual snack control period. The effect of the intervention will be defined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
Measured: Two-week measurement bursts immediately prior to and end at the end of 4-week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points/8 weeks total)
Secondary outcomes (10)
Healthy Eating Index - Seafood & Plant Protein component score
Healthy Eating Index (HEI) Seafood \& Plant Protein component score will be calculated from 24-hour recalls completed using the NIH ASA-24 system. The effect of the intervention will be determined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
Measured: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Healthy Eating Index - Fatty Acid component score
Healthy Eating Index (HEI) Fatty Acid will be calculated from 24-hour recalls completed using the NIH ASA-24 system. The effect of the intervention will be determined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
Measured: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Healthy Eating Index - Sodium component score
Healthy Eating Index - Sodium component score will be calculated from 24-hour recalls completed using the NIH ASA-24 system. The effect of the intervention will be determined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period
Measured: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Healthy Eating Index - Refined Grains component score
Healthy Eating Index - Refined Grains component score will be calculated from 24-hour recalls completed using the NIH ASA-24 system. The effect of the intervention will be determined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period
Measured: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Healthy Eating Index - Added Sugar component score
Healthy Eating Index - Added sugar component score will be calculated from 24-hour recalls completed using the NIH ASA-24 system. The effect of the intervention will be determined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period
Measured: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid
Dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) will be calculated from 24-hour recalls completed using the NIH ASA-24 system. The effect of the intervention will be determined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
Measured: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Dietary intake of magnesium
Dietary intake of magnesium will be calculated from 24-hour recalls completed using the NIH ASA-24 system. The effect of the intervention will be determined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
Measured: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Dietary intake of fiber
Dietary intake of fiber will be calculated from 24-hour recalls completed using the NIH ASA-24 system. The effect of the intervention will be determined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
Measured: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Sleep duration
Sleep duration (hours/day) will be measured using wrist actigraphy over 2-week periods at baseline and post-intervention for both the walnut intervention period and habitual snack control period. The effect of the intervention will be defined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
Measured: Two-week measurement bursts immediately prior to and end at the end of 4-week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points/8 weeks total)
Daytime sleepiness
Participants will rate their level of daytime sleepiness as part of a diary survey completed each evening during 2-week periods at baseline and post-intervention for both the walnut intervention period and habitual snack control period. The effect of the intervention will be defined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
Measured: Two-week measurement bursts immediately prior to and end at the end of 4-week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points/8 weeks total)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted7 Oct 2026
- Study startJan 2027 (estimated)
- Primary completionMay 2028 (estimated)
- Study completionMay 2028 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Diet QualityStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Penn State UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Penn State University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Emily Hohman, Penn State University
- Investigators
- Emily E Hohman, PhD, Principal investigator, Penn State University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07862556
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00029766
- Other IDs
- 2026-78418-46891, 256354
- Status last verified
- Oct 2026
- First submitted
- 1 Oct 2026
- Last updated
- 7 Oct 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Deidentified research data
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 7 Oct 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effects of an Evening Snack of Walnuts on Diet and Sleep Quality in Adolescents
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07862556
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- STUDY00029766
- Conditions
- Diet Quality, Sleep
- Keywords
- walnuts, sleep, diet quality, adolescents, snacking
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 80 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Penn State UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Jan 2027 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- May 2028 (estimated)
- Study completion
- May 2028 (estimated)
- First posted
- 7 Oct 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this study is to examine whether an evening snack of 1 oz of walnuts consumed in place of usual evening snacks for 4 weeks has a beneficial effect on diet quality and sleep quality in adolescents age 13-17 years.
Detailed description
The goal of this study is to test the effects of an evening snack of 1 oz walnuts for four weeks, compared to habitual snacking behavior, on adolescent diet quality and sleep quality. Adolescents (age 13-17 years) will be assigned to complete the walnut intervention and habitual snack condition in a randomized, counterbalanced order, separated by a 4-week washout. Dietary quality will be measured using 24-hour recalls and the Healthy Eating Index, and sleep quality will be measured using actigraphy and daily survey reports of subjective sleep quality and daytime sleepiness. We hypothesize that during the walnut snacking condition, adolescents will have higher HEI scores and intakes of walnut-related nutrients, and higher sleep maintenance efficiency and subjective sleep quality, compared to during the habitual snack condition.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Crossover
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Walnut then Control | Other | Other: Walnuts, Other: Control (usual diet)Participants will complete the walnut intervention first and the control period second |
| Control then Walnut | Other | Other: Walnuts, Other: Control (usual diet)Participants will complete the control period first and the walnut period second |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 13 to 17 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| WalnutsParticipants will replace their usual evening snack(s) with 1 oz of walnuts each evening for 4 weeks. | Other | Control then Walnut, Walnut then Control |
| Control (usual diet)Participants will maintain their usual snacking behavior/diet | Other | Control then Walnut, Walnut then Control |
Primary outcome
Health Eating Index score
Time frame: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Healthy Eating Index will be calculated from 24-hour recalls completed using the NIH ASA-24 system. The effect of the intervention will be determined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
Sleep maintenance efficiency
Time frame: Two-week measurement bursts immediately prior to and end at the end of 4-week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points/8 weeks total)
Sleep maintenance efficiency is a metric of sleep quality that is defined as the percentage of the overnight sleep interval that is spent actually asleep. Sleep maintenance efficiency will be measured using wrist actigraphy over 2-week periods at baseline and post-intervention for both the walnut intervention period and habitual snack control period. The effect of the intervention will be defined as the difference of baseline-post change for the walnut intervention period and the baseline-post change for the habitual snack control period.
10 secondary outcomes
Healthy Eating Index - Seafood & Plant Protein component score
Time frame: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Healthy Eating Index - Fatty Acid component score
Time frame: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Healthy Eating Index - Sodium component score
Time frame: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Healthy Eating Index - Refined Grains component score
Time frame: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Healthy Eating Index - Added Sugar component score
Time frame: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Dietary intake of alpha-linolenic acid
Time frame: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Dietary intake of magnesium
Time frame: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Dietary intake of fiber
Time frame: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)
Sleep duration
Time frame: Two-week measurement bursts immediately prior to and end at the end of 4-week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points/8 weeks total)
Daytime sleepiness
Time frame: Two-week measurement bursts immediately prior to and end at the end of 4-week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points/8 weeks total)
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 7 Oct 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Deidentified research data
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Emily E Hohman, PhD principal investigator
Penn State University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Walnuts in people with Diet Quality and Sleep, run by Penn State University at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 7 Oct 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Emily E Hohman, PhD (814-865-5245, eeh12@psu.edu), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Health Eating Index score (time frame: Baseline and end of 4 week study period for both the walnut intervention and the habitual snack control period (4 time points total)). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 7 Oct 2026; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 8 Nov 2026.