Hunger
Conditions
Brief summary
Objective: To investigate the differences between eating virtual and real-life meals and test the hypothesis that eating a virtual meal can reduce hunger among healthy women. Methods: Twenty healthy women will be recruited and partake in a randomized crossover study. The subjects will be asked to eat one introduction meal, two real meals, and two virtual meals, all containing real or virtual meatballs and potatoes. The real meals will be eaten on a plate placed on a scale which communicates with analytical software on a computer. The virtual meals will be eaten in a room, where participants are seated on a real chair in front of a real table, and fitted with the virtual-reality equipment. The eating behavior for both the real and virtual meals will be filmed. Hunger will be measured before and after the meals using questionnaires.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALVirtual food
Virtual food eaten using immersive virtual reality equipment
BEHAVIORALReal food
Real food eaten using regular utensils
Sponsors
Karolinska Institutet
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
BASIC_SCIENCE
Masking
NONE
Masking description
Masking was not possible in the current study, since it was obvious if you were eating virtual or real food. However, participants were not aware of the aim of the study.
Intervention model description
Randomized crossover study with 2 repeats. Each person participated in two virtual meals and two real meals in random order.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
18 Years to 28 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* BMI between 18.5 kg/m2 to 29 kg/m2 * normal physical activity (measured using the short version of the international physical activity questionnaire, IPAQ)
Exclusion criteria
* pregnant or breastfeeding * smoker * temporomandibular disorder * recent serious dental surgery (last 6 months) * undergoing treatments known to affect appetite (e.g., use of some psychotropic drugs) * previous history of eating disorders * vegetarian * aversion to the food served
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Difference in hunger before to after meal | Before to after meal (on average around 10 minutes) | Rated on visual analogue scale (range 0 - 100) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Food intake | During meal (around 10 minutes) | Grams of food ingested |
| Meal duration | During meal (around 10 minutes) | Minute duration of the meal |
| Forkfuls | During meal (around 10 minutes) | Number of times participant took food from the plate |
| Additions | During meal (around 10 minutes) | Number of times the participant added food to the plate |
| Chews | During meal (around 10 minutes) | Number of times the participant chewed the food |
Countries
Sweden
Outcome results
None listed