Testing eating time limits to prevent childhood obesity in schools

This trial is testing whether a simple approach called time-restricted eating (TRE) can help prevent childhood obesity in schools. Instead of counting calories, children in the TRE group would eat only during a 12-hour window each day—for example, between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. The study will compare this approach to regular school health education to see which works better at preventing weight gain.

Childhood obesity has become a serious health problem in China and worldwide, and it often leads to heart disease later in life. While past obesity prevention programs in schools have worked, they are hard to stick to because they require counting calories and making many changes. This treatment is simpler—it only requires controlling when children eat, not how much—so researchers want to test whether it's easier for families to follow and still effective at preventing obesity.