The Effectiveness of the Healthy Eating Plate on Appetite, Balanced Diet, and Dining Enjoyment Among Community-Dwelling Elderly

November 8, 2026 updated by: Yi-hsun Chu, Taichung Veterans General Hospital

The Effectiveness of the Healthy Eating Plate on Appetite, Balanced Diet, and Dining Enjoyment Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a healthy eating plate intervention on appetite, balanced dietary intake, and dining enjoyment among community-dwelling older adults.

A quasi-experimental study was conducted among adults aged 65 years and older attending community-based long-term care stations in Chiayi, Taiwan. Participants were assigned to either an intervention group or a control group according to the participating sites.

The intervention group used a healthy eating plate designed according to the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare's healthy eating guidelines during communal lunches at the community care stations, five days per week. The control group continued their usual meals and received a one-time educational session on healthy eating plate principles.

The study evaluated changes in appetite, balanced dietary intake, and dining enjoyment to examine the effects of the healthy eating plate intervention on dietary behaviors and dining experiences among community-dwelling older adults.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The healthy eating plate intervention was designed based on the dietary principles promoted by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare. The plate translates healthy eating proportions into a tangible, practical tool that helps older adults apply balanced dietary principles during meals.

Participants in both groups received a one-time educational session introducing the principles of the healthy eating plate. In addition, participants in the intervention group used the healthy eating plate during communal lunches at community-based long-term care stations, five days per week. The plate served as a practical tool to guide food selection and portion distribution during meals. Participants in the control group continued their usual meal practices without using the healthy eating plate.

The intervention was implemented in community care settings to examine how incorporating a tangible dietary guide into daily meal practices may influence older adults' eating behaviors and dining experiences. Appetite, dietary intake, and dining enjoyment were assessed.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
120

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
    • Taiwan
      • Chiayi City, Taiwan, Taiwan, 600
        • Xindian CDA; Xingren CDA; Qing'an CDA; All-Age Learning Association-Xincuo; Guohua Xingfu Hile Welfare Association; All-Age Learning Association-Chiayi Medical; All-Age Learning Association-Dingliao; Fushou CDA

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

65 years and older (Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults aged 65 years or older attending Level C community-based long-term -care stations in Chiayi County or Chiayi City.
  • Able to communicate and engage in conversation in Mandarin or Taiwanese.
  • Barthel Index score of 80 or higher.
  • Able to eat independently and consume a regular or soft diet.
  • Willing to sign the informed consent form and participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Receiving enteral feeding through a nasogastric tube or gastrostomy.
  • Requiring minced or chopped diets.
  • Having dysphagia.
  • Frequently experiencing coughing or choking during or after meals.
  • Being bedridden.
  • Having gastrointestinal dysfunction, such as diarrhea or gastrointestinal bleeding.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Healthy Eating Plate Intervention Group

Participants received a one-time educational session on healthy eating plate principles. In addition, they used a physical healthy eating plate during communal lunches at community-based long-term care stations, five days per week, to guide food selection and portion distribution according to balanced dietary principles.
Behavioral: Healthy Eating Plate

The intervention involved the use of a physical healthy eating plate designed according to the dietary principles promoted by the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare. The plate was designed to represent recommended food group proportions and serve as a practical tool for guiding food selection and portion distribution during meals. Participants in the intervention group used the plate during communal lunches at community-based long-term care stations, five days per week, throughout the approximately two-month intervention period. Both the intervention and control groups received a one-time educational session on healthy eating plate principles; however, only the intervention group used the physical healthy eating plate during meals.
No Intervention: Control Group

Participants continued their usual meal practices without using the physical healthy eating plate. Participants received a one-time educational session on healthy eating plate principles, as did those in the intervention group.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Appetite
Time Frame: Baseline to the end of the 2-month intervention period

Food intake was measured and recorded using a digital scale during communal lunches five days per week to assess changes in appetite over the study period. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used to analyze changes over time and differences between the intervention and control groups.
Baseline to the end of the 2-month intervention period
Balanced Diet
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of the 2-month intervention period

Balanced dietary intake was assessed using a six-item Healthy Eating Plate questionnaire. Each item was scored as yes or no, with higher total scores indicating better adherence to balanced dietary principles. Scores were compared between baseline and post-intervention assessments.
Baseline and at the end of the 2-month intervention period
Dining Enjoyment
Time Frame: Baseline and at the end of the 2-month intervention period

Dining enjoyment was assessed using a 12-item Likert-scale questionnaire. Higher total scores indicated greater dining enjoyment. Scores were compared between baseline and post-intervention assessments.
Baseline and at the end of the 2-month intervention period

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Taichung Veterans General Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 14, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 8, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
November 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
November 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
November 8, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • RVHCY113011
  • RVHCY113011 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Chiayi Branch, Taichung Veterans General Hospital)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data will not be shared because of participant privacy and confidentiality considerations. The data will be used solely for the purposes of this study and managed by the research team in accordance with the approved research ethics requirements.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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