The influence of subtly encouraging individuals to choose less calorie-dense foods
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN74601698 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN74601698 |
- Submission date
- 01/10/2020
- Registration date
- 02/10/2020
- Last edited
- 13/08/2021
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims:
Many people exercise because they know it is good for their health. Although this is true, it can make us feel deserving of a reward and lead us to eat more indulgent, less healthy food than if we had not done any exercise. Generally, lower energy-dense (LED) foods are recognised as healthier choices than higher energy-dense (HED) options. Despite our intention to make healthy choices, seeing tempting higher-calorie foods on offer often side-tracks us. Priming is a psychological tool that makes specific changes to our environment that remind us of our motivation to be healthy. This makes it easier to choose a healthier option, by nudging us towards it without us even realising. Our study explores whether priming people to expect they will receive LED food leads them to make this healthier choice after exercise, even when also offered tempting less healthy HED foods at the moment of selection.
Who can participate?
Potential participants must be members of the University of St Andrews 1st or 2nd XI, male or female, football or hockey teams.
What does the study involve?
All participants complete three questionnaires: baseline, pre-match and post-match. In the pre-match questionnaire, only experimental group participants are supraliminally primed to select a low energy-dense food for post-exercise consumption. After the sports match (and post-match questionnaire completion), all participants are select one food item from three low energy-dense and three high energy-dense foods on offer. The frequency of low versus high-energy dense food selection between control and experimental groups is compared.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
When participants are made aware of the study focus upon receiving the Participant Debrief Form, this knowledge may increase their awareness of the healthfulness of food choices after exercise and subsequently nudge them towards making healthier future choices.
The only potential risk is that of food allergies, hence we advise all participants to carefully consider this risk before participating. Foods provided avoided containing common allergens and all ingredient labels were clearly visible.
Where is the study run from?
University of St Andrews School of Medicine (Population and Behavioural Sciences division)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
March 2019 to February 2020
Who is funding the study?
This study was funded by the University of St Andrews (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Isabelle Schlegel
ims5@st-andrews.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
University of St Andrews
School of Medicine
North Haugh
St Andrews
G4 9HT
United Kingdom
 ORCID ID |
0000-0003-1061-4527 |
|---|---|
| Phone | +44 (0)1334 463599 |
| ims5@st-andrews.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Single-center interventional single-blinded randomized controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Other |
| Study type | Other |
| Participant information sheet | ISRCTN74601698_PIS_v1.1_14Nov2019.pdf |
| Scientific title | To what extent does priming individuals to select low energy-dense (LED) foods reduce their selection of high energy-dense (HED) items when faced with the temptation of more calorically dense visual cues? |
| Study objectives | Supraliminal priming increases individuals' tendency to select less energy-dense foods, rather than high energy-dense foods following exercise (compared to a control group not receiving a priming intervention). |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 17/01/2020, University of St Andrews School of Medicine Research Ethics Committee (University of St Andrews School of Medicine, North Haugh, St Andrews, KY16 9TF, UK; +44 (0)1334 461733; no email provided), ref: MND14700 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Promotion of less energy-dense food selection following exercise in university-level student athletes, as part of promotion of an overall healthier lifestyle. |
| Intervention | Computer-generated randomisation into control and experimental groups. All participants complete three questionnaires: baseline (one week before participants' sports match), pre-match (within one hour before the match) and post-match (immediately following the match). Control group: no priming intervention applied. Experimental group: The priming intervention is one question in the pre-match questionnaire, which asks participants to select a low energy-dense food for post-match consumption. Post-match, following questionnaire completion, all participants are asked to select one food item from a selection of three low energy-dense and three high energy-dense foods visually displayed on offer (much to the surprise of the experimental group who have been primed to expect a choice of exclusively low energy-dense options). |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure | Energy density of food item selected is measured by the researcher observing whether participants select a low energy-dense or high energy-dense food following post-match questionnaire completion (immediately following participants' sports match) |
| Secondary outcome measures | Self reported appetite is measured using a visual analogue scale (0-10) before exercise (pre-match questionnaire) and after exercise (post-match questionnaire) |
| Overall study start date | 01/03/2019 |
| Completion date | 12/02/2020 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Healthy volunteer |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | Both |
| Target number of participants | 120 |
| Total final enrolment | 128 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Members of the University of St Andrews 1st or 2nd XI, male or female, football or hockey teams. |
| Key exclusion criteria | Does not meet inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 27/01/2020 |
| Date of final enrolment | 06/02/2020 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Scotland
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
St Andrews
KY16 9DY
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
University/education
College Gate
St Andrews
KY16 9AJ
Scotland
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)1334 46 3599 |
|---|---|
| medicine@st-andrews.ac.uk | |
| Website | http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/ |
"ROR" |
https://ror.org/02wn5qz54 |
Funders
Funder type
University/education
Government organisation / Universities (academic only)
- Location
- United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | 12/04/2021 |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | Yes |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Other |
| Publication and dissemination plan | This study is currently in the process of submission to the BMC Psychology journal. |
| IPD sharing plan | All data generated or analysed during this study will be included in the subsequent results publication. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participant information sheet | version v1.1 | 14/11/2019 | 08/10/2020 | No | Yes |
| Results article | 23/03/2021 | 13/08/2021 | Yes | No |
Additional files
- ISRCTN74601698_PIS_v1.1_14Nov2019.pdf
- Uploaded 08/10/2020
Editorial Notes
13/08/2021: Internal review.
24/03/2021: Publication reference added.
09/03/2021: The intention to publish date was changed from 12/02/2021 to 12/04/2021.
08/10/2020: The participant information sheet has been uploaded.
02/10/2020: Trial’s existence confirmed by University of St Andrews
