The Food Network Effect

The Food Network Effect: A Study of Food Related Visual Stimuli and Postoperative Gastrointestinal Recovery

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if exposure to food related visual stimuli during the postoperative period can improve gastrointestinal recovery after abdominal surgery in adult patients.The main questions it aims to answer are:

1. Does structured exposure to food related television programming shorten the time to return of bowel function after surgery?
2. Does exposure to food related visual stimuli reduce postoperative ileus and improve recovery related outcomes such as hospital length of stay, appetite, patient satisfaction, and medication use?

Researchers will compare patients receiving structured food related programming during meal periods with patients receiving standard postoperative care to see if food related visual stimulation improves postoperative gastrointestinal recovery.

Participants will:

• Be randomly assigned to either a food-programming group or a standard care group
• Watch food-related television programming for at least 15 minutes during scheduled meal-time periods if assigned to the intervention group
• Have daily collection of routine postoperative information, including bowel function, medication use, and diet progression
• Complete brief optional questions regarding appetite and satisfaction during hospitalization

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Post Operative Patients
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Food Related Visual Stimuli Exposure

Detailed Description

Postoperative ileus and delayed return of gastrointestinal function remain common complications following abdominal surgery and contribute to patient discomfort, prolonged hospitalization, and increased healthcare utilization. Despite advances in perioperative management and implementation of enhanced recovery protocols, impaired bowel function after surgery continues to affect recovery. Early enteral stimulation has been associated with improved gastrointestinal recovery; however, many patients experience appetite suppression or difficulty tolerating oral intake during the immediate postoperative period.

Digestive activity is influenced by the cephalic phase response, a physiologic process in which sensory cues associated with food can activate neural pathways involved in digestion prior to food consumption. Visual food cues have been shown to affect appetite and physiologic responses related to feeding behavior, suggesting a potential mechanism through which noninvasive sensory stimulation could influence postoperative gastrointestinal recovery.

This study evaluates a structured behavioral intervention using food-related television programming during peri-meal periods as an adjunct to routine postoperative care. Participants will be prospectively randomized to receive either scheduled exposure to food-related visual stimuli or standard postoperative care. The intervention is designed to provide a simple, low-cost, non-pharmacologic strategy that can be implemented using existing hospital resources without altering routine clinical management.

The findings from this study may provide insight into whether sensory stimulation through visual food exposure can enhance postoperative recovery and serve as a scalable adjunct to current perioperative care practices

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 150
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Casey M Morehouse, DO; Phone Number: 8034130578; Email: cmmorehouse@gmail.com

Study Locations

• United States
  • South Carolina
    • Columbia, South Carolina, United States, 29203
      • Prisma Health Midlands
      • Contact: Casey Morehouse, DO; Phone Number: 8034130578; Email: cmmorehouse@gmail.com
      • Contact: Dominick Ricci, DO

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult patients aged ≥18 years
• Undergoing abdominal surgery (including general, colorectal, trauma, or surgical oncology procedures) requiring inpatient post operative admission
• Able to participate in the intervention, including engaging with television based stimuli
• Able to follow simple instructions in the postoperative period

Exclusion Criteria:

• Critical illness requiring ICU-level care beyond the immediate postoperative period
• Mechanical ventilation (intubated patients)
• Requirement for high-level non-invasive ventilation (BiPAP for respiratory failure)
• Hemodynamic instability requiring vasopressor support
• Life support measures, including continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) or ECMO
• Altered mental status impairing participation (delirium requiring restraints)
• Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) < 13 or inability to follow commands

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Food Related TV; Participants randomized to the intervention arm will receive standard postoperative care in addition to a structured behavioral intervention consisting of exposure to food-related visual stimuli during defined peri-meal periods throughout their postoperative hospitalization. Participants will be asked to watch food related television programming (e.g., cooking, baking, or food-centered shows) for a minimum of 15 minutes during each designated meal window: breakfast (7:00-9:00 AM), lunch (12:00-2:00 PM), and dinner (5:00-7:00 PM). Programming will be delivered using existing in-room hospital television resources and will not alter routine clinical care or dietary management. Compliance with the intervention will be monitored through participant self-report and periodic study team check-ins. Participants will continue all standard postoperative management according to routine clinical practice	Behavioral: Food Related Visual Stimuli Exposure; This intervention consists of a structured, non-pharmacologic behavioral exposure to food related visual stimuli delivered during predefined peri-meal periods throughout the postoperative hospitalization. Participants will view food centered television programming (e.g., cooking, baking, or food preparation shows) for a minimum of 15 minutes during each designated meal window: breakfast (7:00-9:00 AM), lunch (12:00-2:00 PM), and dinner (5:00-7:00 PM). Unlike standard television viewing or unrestricted media use, the intervention uses scheduled exposure to food-specific visual content intended to provide cephalic phase sensory stimulation during times corresponding with routine eating periods. The intervention is delivered using existing hospital television resources and does not involve medications, dietary modification, invasive procedures, or additional medical devices. Adherence will be assessed through participant self-report and periodic study team monitoring.
No Intervention: Non-modified postoperative recovery; Participants randomized to the no-intervention (control) arm will receive standard postoperative care according to routine clinical practice without structured exposure to food-related visual stimuli. Participants may watch television at their discretion during hospitalization; however, they will not receive prompts, assigned programming, or scheduled meal-time viewing instructions. No restrictions will be placed on normal television use or activities during recovery. All other perioperative and postoperative care will remain unchanged and will be managed according to standard clinical protocols

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Incidence of postoperative ileus		Until hospital discharge, can vary from 2-10 days
Return of bowel function	measured by time to first flatus and/or time to first bowel movement;	from enrollment to the end of admission, can vary from 2-10 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Casey Morehouse, DO
• Collaborators: Prisma Health-Midlands

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Wagner M, Probst P, Haselbeck-Kobler M, Brandenburg JM, Kalkum E, Storzinger D, Kessler J, Simon JJ, Friederich HC, Angelescu M, Billeter AT, Hackert T, Muller-Stich BP, Buchler MW. The Problem of Appetite Loss After Major Abdominal Surgery: A Systematic Review. Ann Surg. 2022 Aug 1;276(2):256-269. doi: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000005379. Epub 2022 Jan 27.
• Vather R, O'Grady G, Bissett IP, Dinning PG. Postoperative ileus: mechanisms and future directions for research. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2014 May;41(5):358-70. doi: 10.1111/1440-1681.12220.
• Garg D, Smith E, Attuquayefio T. Watching Television While Eating Increases Food Intake: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Experimental Studies. Nutrients. 2025 Jan 2;17(1):166. doi: 10.3390/nu17010166.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): July 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): September 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 24, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 24, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): June 1, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): June 1, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 24, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: ileus; return of bowel function; recovery after abdominal surgery; eras protocol
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Intestinal Diseases; Digestive System Diseases; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Intestinal Obstruction; Ileus
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2442405-1

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: Individual participant data collected during this study will not be shared outside of the research team. De-identified aggregate study results may be reported in presentations or publications, but individual level participant data will not be made publicly available

Drug and device information, study documents

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