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

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

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

Conditions
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Hunger

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Virtual food
* Behavioral: Real food


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years
Maximum Age: 28 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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Female

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Basic Science
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Interventional Model Description: Randomized crossover study with 2 repeats. Each person participated in two virtual meals and two real meals in random order.
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Virtual, then real meal<br>Participant first had two lunch sessions eating virtual food (meal), with a wash-out period of three days. Participants then had two lunch sessions eating real food (meal), with a wash-out period of three days. | Behavioral: Virtual food<br>* Virtual food eaten using immersive virtual reality equipment<br>Behavioral: Real food<br>* Real food eaten using regular utensils<br>|
| Experimental: Real, then virtual meal<br>Participant first had two lunch sessions eating real food (meal), with a wash-out period of three days. Participants then had two lunch sessions eating virtual food (meal), with a wash-out period of three days. | Behavioral: Virtual food<br>* Virtual food eaten using immersive virtual reality equipment<br>Behavioral: Real food<br>* Real food eaten using regular utensils<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Difference in hunger before to after meal | Rated on visual analogue scale (range 0 - 100) | Before to after meal (on average around 10 minutes) | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Food intake | Grams of food ingested | During meal (around 10 minutes) | 
| Meal duration | Minute duration of the meal | During meal (around 10 minutes) | 
| Forkfuls | Number of times participant took food from the plate | During meal (around 10 minutes) | 
| Additions | Number of times the participant added food to the plate | During meal (around 10 minutes) | 
| Chews | Number of times the participant chewed the food | During meal (around 10 minutes) |