Combined Effects of Sequential Variety and Portion Size on Meal Intake of Women

The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the combined effects of sequential meal variety and portion size on food intake at a meal. Additionally, other individual characteristics will be examined for their influence on the effects of simultaneous variety and portion size on meal intake.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Eating Behavior
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Sequential Variety; Other: Small Portion; Other: Large Portion; Other: Single-Food

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 52
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • University Park, Pennsylvania, United States, 16802
      • Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior, The Pennsylvania State University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 20 years to 65 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Be willing and able to travel to Penn State University Park campus weekly for meals
• Be fully vaccinated against COVID-19
• Be a woman 20 - 65 years old
• Regularly eat 3 meals/day
• Be willing to refrain from drinking alcohol the day before and during test days
• Have a body mass index between 18.0 and 35.0 kg/m*m
• Be willing to refrain from eating after 10 pm the evening before test sessions
• Be willing to participate in all study procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

• Must not be a smoker
• Must not be an athlete in training
• Must not be pregnant or breastfeeding at the time of screening
• Must not have taken prescription or non-prescription drugs that may affect appetite or food intake within the last 3 months
• Must not dislike or be unable to eat the test foods (because of allergies, intolerance, or dietary restrictions)
• Must not have a high variability in liking of the test foods
• Must not be currently dieting to gain or lose weight
• Must not have a health condition that affects appetite
• Must not have participated in a similar study in our lab in the past year
• Must not be a student, faculty, or staff member in nutritional sciences or psychology

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Sequential Variety, Small Portion; 3 different foods served in a small portion in 3 successive courses	Other: Sequential Variety; 3 different foods served in 3 successive courses; Other: Small Portion; Small meal portion size
Experimental: Sequential Variety, Large Portion; 3 different foods served in a large portion in 3 successive courses	Other: Sequential Variety; 3 different foods served in 3 successive courses; Other: Large Portion; Large meal portion size
Experimental: Single-Food, Small Portion; 1 food served in a small portion in 3 successive courses	Other: Small Portion; Small meal portion size; Other: Single-Food; 1 food served in 3 successive courses
Experimental: Single-Food, Large Portion; 1 food served in a large portion in 3 successive courses	Other: Large Portion; Large meal portion size; Other: Single-Food; 1 food served in 3 successive courses

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in intake by weight	Weight (grams) of all meal components consumed	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in energy intake	Energy intake (kilocalories) of all meal components consumed, calculated from weight and energy density	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in bite count	The number of bites of food during the meal	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in active eating time	Duration of the time spent eating in minutes	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in mean eating rate	Mean food intake per minute (grams/minute), calculated by dividing meal food intake by meal duration	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in mean bite size	Mean food intake per bite (grams/bite), calculated by dividing meal food intake by bite count	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in sip count	The number of sips of water during the meal	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in mean drinking rate	Mean water intake per minute (grams/minute), calculated by dividing meal water intake by meal duration	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in mean sip size	Mean water intake per sip (grams/sip), calculated by dividing meal water intake by sip count	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in switching between bites and sips	The number of switches between bites and sips during the meal	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in rating of pleasantness of the taste of food samples	Measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale ranging from not at all pleasant (0 mm) to extremely pleasant (100 mm). This will be used to calculate Sensory-Specific Satiety	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in rating of desire to eat food samples	Measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale ranging from not at all strong (0 mm) to extremely strong (100 mm), in answer to "How strong is your desire to eat [this food] right now?". This will be used to calculate Sensory-Specific Satiety.	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in rating of hunger	Measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale ranging from not at all hungry (0 mm) to extremely hungry (100 mm)	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in rating of thirst	Measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale ranging from not at all thirsty (0 mm) to extremely thirsty (100 mm)	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in rating of nausea	Measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale ranging from not at all nauseated (0 mm) to extremely nauseated (100 mm)	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in rating of fullness	Measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale ranging from not at all full (0 mm) to extremely full (100 mm)	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4
Change in rating of prospective consumption	Measured on a 100-mm visual analogue scale ranging from nothing at all (0 mm) to a large amount (100 mm), in answer to "How much food do you think you could eat right now?".	Weeks 1, 2, 3, 4

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Penn State University
• Collaborators: Jenny Craig, Inc.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 6, 2022
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 3, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): April 7, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 28, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 29, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): August 3, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 22, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 21, 2023
• Last Verified: September 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Other Study ID Numbers: FoodVariety104

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No