This pilot project aims to improve eating behaviors in children with overweight or unhealthy food craving tendencies by reducing the unconscious pull of unhealthy food cues, without relying on education, self-control or restriction. Building on validated neuroscience-based mechanisms, we will deploy and evaluate a low-effort, gamified intervention that implicitly recalibrates food motivation through child-friendly digital cognitive retraining tasks.
Co-developed with children, parents, and educators, the program will be implemented in prevention and treatement institutions and tested over 12 months. Unlike traditional programs focused on education or willpower, our solution uses effortless, preliteral implicit behavioral change to sustainably reduce cravings and foster healthier choices. It is designed to be inclusive, non-stigmatizing, and empowering for children.
The project is led by our lab at the Medicine Section of the University of Fribourg, with BeweLab AG as implementation partner (our research lab spinoff). A mixed-method evaluation will assess feasibility, behavioral impact, and user experience. Results will inform a scalable model for broader deployment across Swiss schools, prevention services, and public or private healthcare settings. This aligns with Palatin’s mission to support the physical and psychological development of children and promote participatory, health-enhancing structures.
