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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05734209

How Does Eating Behavior and Hunger in Virtual Reality Meals Compare to Real Meals?

Objective: To investigate the differences between eating virtual and real-life meals and test the hypothesis that eating a virtual meal can reduce hunger among healthy women.

Methods: Twenty healthy women will be recruited and partake in a randomized crossover study. The subjects will be asked to eat one introduction meal, two real meals, and two virtual meals, all containing real or virtual meatballs and potatoes. The real meals will be eaten on a plate placed on a scale which communicates with analytical software on a computer. The virtual meals will be eaten in a room, where participants are seated on a real chair in front of a real table, and fitted with the virtual-reality equipment. The eating behavior for both the real and virtual meals will be filmed. Hunger will be measured before and after the meals using questionnaires.

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Key information

Conditions

Hunger

Age range

18 year–28 year

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Karolinska Institutet

Stockholm, Huddinge, 14152, Sweden

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • BMI between 18.5 kg/m2 to 29 kg/m2
  • "normal" physical activity (measured using the short version of the international physical activity questionnaire, IPAQ)

Exclusion criteria

  • pregnant or breastfeeding
  • smoker
  • temporomandibular disorder
  • recent serious dental surgery (last 6 months)
  • undergoing treatments known to affect appetite (e.g., use of some psychotropic drugs)
  • previous history of eating disorders
  • vegetarian
  • aversion to the food served

Treatment and study plan

Virtual food

Behavioral

Virtual food eaten using immersive virtual reality equipment

Real food

Behavioral

Real food eaten using regular utensils

Primary outcomes

  1. Difference in hunger before to after meal

    Time frame: Before to after meal (on average around 10 minutes)

    Rated on visual analogue scale (range 0 - 100)

Secondary outcomes

  1. Food intake

    Time frame: During meal (around 10 minutes)

    Grams of food ingested

  2. Meal duration

    Time frame: During meal (around 10 minutes)

    Minute duration of the meal

  3. Forkfuls

    Time frame: During meal (around 10 minutes)

    Number of times participant took food from the plate

  4. Additions

    Time frame: During meal (around 10 minutes)

    Number of times the participant added food to the plate

  5. Chews

    Time frame: During meal (around 10 minutes)

    Number of times the participant chewed the food

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Karolinska Institutet

Other

Registry information

Official study title

How Does Eating Behavior and Hunger in Virtual Reality Meals Compare to Real Meals? A Randomized Crossover Study

Important dates

Study start
2020
Primary completion
2022
Study completion
2022
First posted
Feb 17, 2023
Registry last updated
Feb 17, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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