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Investigating the Effects of Altering Portion Size Reduction Awareness on Compensatory Eating Behaviour

Investigating the Effects of Altering Portion Size Reduction Awareness on Compensatory Eating Behaviour

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06119295
Enrollment
108
Registered
2023-11-07
Start date
2023-11-01
Completion date
2024-05-16
Last updated
2024-12-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Eating Behavior, Obesity

Brief summary

The present study aims to investigate whether energy intake is reduced when participants consume a reduced portion size (15% compared to the 'control' portion), and also to see whether awareness of this reduction affects energy intake.

Detailed description

In the present study, all participants will participate in two sessions - the baseline session and the experimental session. In the baseline session, participants will be given ad libitum access to a lunch meal (followed by ad libitum access to dessert), and ad libitum access to a dinner meal (followed by ad libitum access to dessert). Then, after a washout period of between 1-6 weeks, participants will return to complete the experimental session, where they will be randomised to one of three conditions: Condition 1 (control condition): The same as the baseline condition except that the lunch will be of a fixed portion which participants must consume all of - this portion size will be the same amount of food as was consumed in the ad libitum lunch meal in the baseline session (participants will be told that the amount of food served is the same as the amount they consumed in the baseline session). Condition 2 (reduced aware condition): The same as the baseline condition except that the lunch will be of a fixed portion which participants must consume all of - this portion size will be 15% less than the amount of food consumed in the ad libitum lunch meal in the baseline session (participants will be told that the amount of food served has been reduced from the amount they consumed in the baseline session). Condition 3 (reduced unaware condition): The same as the baseline condition except that the lunch will be of a fixed portion which participants must consume all of - this portion size will be 15% less than the amount of food consumed in the ad libitum lunch meal in the baseline session (participants will be told that the amount of food served is the same as the amount they consumed in the baseline session).

Interventions

The intervention will be administered via changing portion sizes of foods served to participants. Depending on the condition participants are in, they will be served either a portion size which consists of the amount of food they consumed in the first test session, or a reduced portion size. Within these two reduced portion size conditions, one group of participants will be made aware that their portion size has been reduced, the other will not and instead will be told that this portion size is the same as the amount of food they consumed in the previous session.

Sponsors

University of Liverpool
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 60 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* United Kingdom (UK) residents able to visit laboratory on campus in Liverpool, aged ≥ 18 * Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18.5 and 32.5 kg/m2 * Proficiency in English language * Self-report willingness to eat each of the test foods

Exclusion criteria

* Current medication use which affects appetite * Pregnant * Currently or previously diagnosed with an eating disorder * Currently on a diet * Have any food allergies or intolerances * Are vegan

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Immediate energy intake post-fixed lunch mealWithin 30 minutes after intervention administeredAmount of energy consumed from the lunch dessert
Total delayed post-fixed lunch meal energy intakeWithin 10 hours after intervention administeredAmount of energy consumed from the post-lunch snack box intake, dinner meal, dinner dessert, post-dinner snack box intake, additional energy intake
Total post-fixed lunch meal energy intakeWithin 10 hours after intervention administeredAmount of energy consumed from the lunch dessert, post-lunch snack box intake, dinner meal, dinner dessert, post-dinner snack box intake, additional energy intake

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Post-lunch snack box intakeWithin 4 hours after intervention administeredAmount of energy consumed from snack box consumed between lunch and dinner
Total intake of the ad libitum dinner mealWithin 4-5 hours after intervention administeredAmount of energy consumed from the dinner meal

Countries

United Kingdom

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026