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Eating Habits and Behaviors, (UMLS)FEECAEENCT03731663

The Effect of Exposure to Food in Social Networks on Food Cravings and External Eating

A study testing Exposure to pictures of appetizing food (known as Foodporn) and Exposure to neutral pictures in people with Eating Habits and Behaviors, (UMLS), run by Ruppin Acdemic Center at 1 site in Israel.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Background: Food practices are socially, culturally and historically embedded in everyday life. It is a common notion that people eat due to internal state of physiologic hunger but in fact the drive behind eating behaviors is much more complex. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Eating Habits and Behaviors, (UMLS)
What is being tested?
Exposure to pictures of appetizing food (known as Foodporn) and Exposure to neutral pictures
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
165 participants
Where
1 siteIsrael
Study dates
12 Apr 2018to 1 Aug 2018
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 35 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult

Who may be able to join

  • Age limits:
  • Minimum (18), Unit of time (Years)
  • Maximum (35) Unit of time (Years)
  • Hebrew speaking, age 18-35

Who cannot join

  • age (below 18 or over 35)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Israel1 site
  • Ruppin academic center

    Emek Hefer, 40250

Other trials in Israel

About this study

Background: Food practices are socially, culturally and historically embedded in everyday life. It is a common notion that people eat due to internal state of physiologic hunger but in fact the drive behind eating behaviors is much more complex. We eat, inter alia, because of our response to external cues such as the sight and smell of food, or external eating. Another related concept is food cravings: intense irresistible desires to consume a particular food that is distinct from hunger. Both external eating and food cravings have been associated with impulsivity, eating disorders and obesity. During recent decades the role of the media, and recently of the social media in our lives has grown significantly, and their influence on culture and society is now huge. A common activities on social media sites (SNS) is food viewing and posting pictures of tempting food, known as food porn. Food porn has been found to correlate with eating patterns and food-related attention and reward bias. The aim of this study is to conduct a controlled manipulation that may help us deduce causality as well as association. The investigators postulate that (1) viewing pictures of appetizing food will lead to higher rates of reported external eating and food craving than viewing pictures that are not food related; (2) Viewing these appetizing food pictures will lead participants to order different kinds of food and greater amounts; (3) The effect of viewing food pictures on external eating, food cravings and food orders will be greater for participants with high disturbed eating, then for participants without disturbed eating.

Method: After providing informed consent, 150 female participants (aged 18-35) will self report on demographic variables, SNS food preoccupation and disturbed eating (EAT-26). They will then be randomly assigned to watch either a food porn or control video. They will complete measures of food cravings (FCQ-S) and external eating (DEBQ) after watching the video and asked to order food they would like to eat from a virtual menu.)

Read the detailed description

Participants Approximately 150 young participants (aged 18-35) will be recruited using a convenience sampling procedure. Participants will include Behavioral Science students at the Ruppin Academic Center who will be given credit points in exchange for participation on the stud, and young women recruited via social networks.

Measures Food cravings (state) will be assessed using the Food Craving Questionnaire (FCQ-S), a self report questionnaire with good psychometric properties (Cepeda-Benito, Gleaves, Willams, \& Erath, 2000). The FCQ-S items are scaled on a five point Likret scale and measures five factors.

External eating will be assessed using the external eating scale in the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), a self-report questionnaire with good psychometric properties (van Strien, Frijters, Bergers, \& Defares, 1986). The DEBQ measure restraint, emotional and external eating in different scales. The external eating scale contains ten statements scored on a five point Likret scale .

Disturbed eating will be assessed using the widely used Eating Attitude Test 26 (EAT-26) (Garner, Olmstead, Bohr, \& Garfinkel, 1982). The EAT-26 is an 26-item measure of self reported symptoms and characteristics of EDs using a six point Likret scale (an example statement is "In the past 6 month have you: Exercised more than 60 minutes a day to lose or control your weight").

SNS food preoccupation will be measured by asking participant about specific food related SNSs activities and the frequency they engage in it. The activities include: frequency of posting food pictures on either Facebook or Instagram, frequency of encountering food pictures on either Facebook or Instagram, frequency of sending food pictures on WhatsApp, frequency of receiving food pictures on WhatsApp, frequency of following chefs, restaurants or brands on Instagram, frequency of posting pictures of food one prepared, frequency of posting pictures of food one is about to eat, frequency of taking pictures of ordered dishes in a restaurant, and lastly number of food-related groups one is a member of. The response on the first eighth questions was on a 5-point scale, ranging from 'never' to 'very often' and the response on the last question was on a 5-point scale, ranging from 0 to 7 and more. A total mean score of nine SNSs activities will be computed.

Design The independent variables will be the manipulated video (food versus non-food content), SNS use, SNS food preoccupation and disordered eating. External eating, food craving and food (type and amount) ordered will be the dependent variables.

Procedure After receiving an explanation about the study and providing informed consent online, participants will complete questionnaires assessing demographic variables, SNS food preoccupation and disturbed eating online via Qualtrics link. Participants will then be randomly assigned to view a video clip showing pictures of appetizing foods (experimental group) or neutral pictures of tourist destinations (control group). After viewing the video, participants will respond to online questionnaire measuring external eating and food cravings, and will also be asked to order food they would like to eat immediately from a hypothetical. The study will be approved by the IRB.

Statistical analyses Descriptive statistics will describe the characteristics of participants. Basic descriptive statistics will also be computed for the key variables of SNS use and eating patterns. The main analysis will examine the effect of the clip manipulation on external eating, food cravings and type and amount of food ordered, using MANCOVA, with disordered eating will be examined as a covariate. All statistical analyses will be performed using SPSS 23 (IBM SPSS Statistics, New York, USA).

Being tested
Exposure to pictures of appetizing food (known as Foodporn), Exposure to neutral pictures
Keywords
foodporn, food craving, external eating, disordered eating, social networks
Medical subject headings
Feeding Behavior, Behavior

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Exposure to pictures of appetizing food (known as Foodporn)Behavioural

    Also called Experimental intervention

    • Participants allocated to the experimental group will watch a 3 minute video presenting a series of pictures of appetizing foods. An audio of a young adult describing herself eating these foods during a trip to London will be played.
  • Exposure to neutral picturesBehavioural

    Also called Control intervention

    Participants allocated to the control group will watch a 3 minute video presenting a series of control pictures of tourist attractions in London. An audio of a young adult describing herself visiting these sites during a trip will be played.

Study groups in NCT03731663
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Appetizing Food exposure groupExperimentalParticipants allocated to this group will watch a 3-minute video presenting a series of pictures of appetizing foods eaten in facilities in a tourist destination. An audio of a young adult describing herself eating these foods during a trip to London will be played.
Receives: Behavioral: Exposure to pictures of appetizing food (known as Foodporn)
Control content watching groupSham comparatorParticipants allocated to this group will watch a 3-minute video presenting a series of control pictures of tourist attractions in London. An audio of a young adult describing herself visiting these sites during a trip will be played.
Receives: Behavioral: Exposure to neutral pictures

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. External eating

    External eating will be assessed using the external eating scale in the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), a self-report questionnaire with good psychometric properties. The DEBQ measure restraint, emotional and external eating in different scales. The external eating scale contains ten statements scored on a five point Likret scale.

    Measured: Participants' external eating state will be measured immediately after the intervention. Up to 30 minuets after the end of intervention (The exact duration of questionnaire answering takes few minutes and varies between participants)

  2. Food cravings, state (situational)

    Food cravings (state) will be assessed using the Food Craving Questionnaire (FCQ-S), a self report questionnaire with good psychometric properties. The FCQ-S items are scaled on a five point Likret scale and measures five factors.

    Measured: Participants' food cravings state will be measured immediately after the intervention. Up to 30 minuets after the end of intervention (The exact duration of questionnaire answering takes few minutes and varies between participants).

  3. Type of ordered food

    Participants will be asked to order from a fixed menu the type of food they would like to eat immediately after the trial.

    Measured: Up to 30 minuets after the end of intervention.

  4. Amount of ordered food

    Participants will be asked to order from a fixed menu the amount of the chosen type of food they would like to eat immediately after the trial.

    Measured: Up to 30 minuets after the end of intervention.

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted6 Nov 2018
  2. Study start12 Apr 2018
  3. Primary completion1 Aug 2018
  4. Study completion1 Aug 2018

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Model description
After receiving an explanation about the study and providing informed consent online, participants will complete questionnaires assessing demographic variables, SNS food preoccupation and disturbed eating online via Qualtrics link. Participants will then be randomly assigned to view a video clip showing pictures of either appetizing pictures of food (experimental group) or sightseeing pictures in a tourist destination (control group). After viewing the video, participants will respond to online questionnaire measuring external eating and food cravings, and will also be asked to order food they would like to eat immediately from a hypothetical menu.
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Participant
Enrolment
165 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03731663
Sponsor's protocol ID
000000001
Acronym
FEECAEE
Status last verified
Nov 2018
First submitted
29 Dec 2017
Last updated
6 Nov 2018
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Bicen, H. (2015). Determination of University Students' Reasons of Using Social Networking Sites in their Daily Life. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 190, 519-522. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.05.036

  • Cepeda-Benito A, Gleaves DH, Fernandez MC, Vila J, Williams TL, Reynoso J. The development and validation of Spanish versions of the State and Trait Food Cravings Questionnaires. Behav Res Ther. 2000 Nov;38(11):1125-38. doi: 10.1016/s0005-7967(99)00141-2.

    PubMed 11060941
  • Coyne, S. M., Padilla-Walker, L. M., & Howard, E. (2013). Emerging in a digital world: A decade review of media use, effects, and gratifications in emerging adulthood. Emerging Adulthood, 1, 125-137.

  • Garner DM, Olmsted MP, Bohr Y, Garfinkel PE. The eating attitudes test: psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychol Med. 1982 Nov;12(4):871-8. doi: 10.1017/s0033291700049163.

    PubMed 6961471
  • McHale SM, Dotterer A, Kim JY. An Ecological Perspective on the Media and Youth Development. Am Behav Sci. 2009 Apr;52(8):1186-1203. doi: 10.1177/0002764209331541.

    PubMed 22247564
  • Mejova, Y., Abbar, S., & Haddadi, H. (2016). Fetishizing food in digital age:# foodporn around the world. Retrieved from http://arXiv preprint arXiv:1603.00229.

  • Neely E, Walton M, Stephens C. Young people's food practices and social relationships. A thematic synthesis. Appetite. 2014 Nov;82:50-60. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2014.07.005. Epub 2014 Jul 10.

    PubMed 25017130
  • Ruderman AJ. Dietary restraint: a theoretical and empirical review. Psychol Bull. 1986 Mar;99(2):247-62. No abstract available.

    PubMed 3515384
  • Santarossa, Sara, (2015)

  • Schachter S, Goldman R, Gordon A. Effects of fear, food deprivation, and obesity on eating. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1968 Oct;10(2):91-7. doi: 10.1037/h0026284. No abstract available.

    PubMed 5725907
  • Spence C, Okajima K, Cheok AD, Petit O, Michel C. Eating with our eyes: From visual hunger to digital satiation. Brain Cogn. 2016 Dec;110:53-63. doi: 10.1016/j.bandc.2015.08.006. Epub 2015 Oct 1.

    PubMed 26432045
  • Van Strien, T., Frijters, J. E., Bergers, G., & Defares, P. B. (1986). The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) for assessment of restrained, emotional, and external eating behavior. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 5, 295-315.

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Exposure to pictures of appetizing food (known as Foodporn) and Exposure to neutral pictures in people with Eating Habits and Behaviors, (UMLS), run by Ruppin Acdemic Center at 1 site in Israel.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 6 Nov 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Israel. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

External eating (time frame: Participants' external eating state will be measured immediately after the intervention. Up to 30 minuets after the end of intervention (The exact duration of questionnaire answering takes few minutes and varies between participants)). The study lists 4 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03731663, which also lists 12 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 6 Nov 2018.

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