Food Insecurity
Conditions
Keywords
Food insecurity, Physiological Stress, Psychological Stress, Cortisol, Eating, Diet
Brief summary
This study used a within-subjects design in a sample of individuals with a range of food insecurity recruited from the Los Angeles community (N = 400; 44.5% men). These participants then, in counterbalanced order, were exposed to a gold-standard laboratory stressor and a control condition, one month apart. Moderation analyses will test whether cortisol reactivity to the stressor acts as a modulator of the relationship between high levels of food insecurity and increased hyperpalatable food intake.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALHigh-Stress Intervention
Those undergoing the High-Stress will be exposed to a gold-standard laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test (Kirschbaum et al., 1993), which reliably induces cortisol reactivity in most individuals.
Sponsors
University of California, Los Angeles
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Intervention model description
The study is a within-subjects experiment. The order in which participants underwent the experimental or control conditions/arms was counterbalanced. 50% of participants underwent the experimental condition first and then the control condition, one month later. The rest of the sample underwent the control condition first then the experimental condition, one month later.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age 18+ * English-speaking
Exclusion criteria
* Recent (\<1 year) diagnosis of major psychiatric disorders including any mood disorder, schizophrenia, or PTSD * Recent (\<1 year) diagnosis of eating disorder * Recent (\<1 year) diagnosis of metabolic or endocrine disorder or steroid or hormonal contraceptive use * Pregnancy * Allergy to any of the foods in the food buffet * Participation in strict dieting or caloric restriction
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hyperpalatable Food Intake Measured in Kilocalories | Hyperpalatable food intake was measured twice: 5 minutes following the experimental (high stress) or control condition during the first visit, and again 5 minutes following the alternate condition during the second visit. | The primary outcome was hyperpalatable food intake, initially measured in grams and converted into kilocalories. The food consisted of the following items: donuts, M\&Ms, potato chips, crackers, and Sprite. These foods were chosen because processed foods, added sugars, refined grains, starchy vegetables, and sugar sweetened beverages are foods to avoid according to the 2019 American Diabetes Association Nutrition Consensus Report and are high in carbohydrates and glycemic index. |
Countries
United States
Contacts
PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORA. Janet Tomiyama, Ph.D.
University of California, Los Angeles
Baseline characteristics
| Characteristic | — |
|---|---|
| Age, Continuous | 34.52 Years STANDARD_DEVIATION 13.776 |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Asian | 93 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Black or African American | 23 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Hispanic or Latino/a/x | 109 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized More than One Race | 10 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized Other | 2 Participants |
| Race/Ethnicity, Customized White | 115 Participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Men | 91 Participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Non-Binary/Other | 19 Participants |
| Sex/Gender, Customized Women | 102 Participants |
Adverse events
| Event type | EG000 affected / at risk | EG001 affected / at risk |
|---|---|---|
| deaths Total, all-cause mortality | 0 / 400 | 0 / 400 |
| other Total, other adverse events | 0 / 400 | 0 / 400 |
| serious Total, serious adverse events | 0 / 400 | 0 / 400 |
Outcome results
None listed