Milk Study

Drink milk. Advance science. Earn money.

Earn up to $175 and get fresh milk delivered to your home, at no cost to you, when your 9- to 12-year-old child participates in our 12-month study.

We are conducting a research study to compare the effects of whole milk and nonfat milk on children’s nutrition and health. We want to learn whether the effects are the same or different.

If you are interested in enrolling your child and they are eligible (see below), they will be part of the study for 12 months. During this time:

• Your child will drink three cups of milk each day. At the start of the study, we will randomly assign your child to drink either whole or nonfat milk. This milk will be delivered to your home.
• You or your child will receive daily text messages as a reminder for your child to drink the delivered milk.
• You and your child will come to Boston Children’s for three in-person visits. During these visits, we will use a body scanner to take measurements of your child, including their height and weight. We will also draw blood, take your child’s blood pressure, and measure your child’s body composition. Visits will take place after initial enrollment, and 6 and 12 months into the study.
• You will attend monthly 15-minute virtual visits.
• You will complete three online surveys, one at the beginning of the study and again at six and 12 months into the study.

You’ll be taking part in a groundbreaking study of how milk affects children’s nutrition and health. In addition, you will receive:

• Free milk delivered to your home.
• Compensation: Participating families receive up to $175. Payments are made after the completion of each in-person visit.
• Transportation assistance: Free parking for in-person study visits or $15 toward public transportation.

To be eligible for the study, your child must:

• be 9 to 12 years old
• live in the Greater Boston area
• have a body mass index (BMI) at or above the 75th percentile. (To determine your child’s BMI, use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s BMI calculator.)

Conditions that would make your child ineligible:

• aversion to whole or nonfat milk
• abnormal screening labs
• regular use of any medication or dietary supplement that could affect study outcomes
• physician diagnosis of major medical illness, eating disorder, or milk allergy
• recent adherence to a special diet
• change in body weight of 10 percent or more during the past year
• plans to be away from home for five weeks or more during the study
• plans to move away from the Greater Boston area during the study
• another member of the family or household participating in the study

To learn more about the study, email Milk.Study@childrens.harvard.edu or call 617-919-7305. To apply for participation in the study, complete the form below.