Exploring the Effects of Social Media Use and Environmental Factors

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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In this protocol, the investigators propose a randomised controlled trail to explore the effects of environmental factors and the use of technology on eating behaviours. The investigators have planned two studies to investigate these effects, one on high school students from Raffles Institution, and the other on the university population in the National University of Singapore.

Detailed Description
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Participants will be told a cover story that the study explores technological distraction on taste, and asked to complete a taste-evaluation taste of common snacks. One group (intervention group) will be asked to use their personal smartphones to engage in their pre-existing Whatsapp chats while doing the taste test. For the two control conditions, one group will be tasked with reading a neutral article on their personal smartphones while they complete the taste test, while the other group will be asked to complete the taste test without any use of smartphones.

Official Title
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External Eating: An Investigation of Social Media and Environmental Factors Influencing Eating Behaviours

Conditions
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Whatsapp, Article, No Phone

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Whatsapp
* Behavioral: Article
* Behavioral: No Phone


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Normal weight: Body mass index of 18 to 25 Have at least occasional breakfast meals (≥ 3 times a week of self-reported consumption of a breakfast meal) Exclusion Criteria: Symptoms / history of any medical or psychiatric conditions Allergies to food products History of eating disorders Excessive exercise (≥ 5 times a week of self-reported exercise) Currently on a special diet or deliberating restricting caloric intake Currently on a weight loss program Smoking or substance abuse

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 13 Years
Maximum Age: 26 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

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: Prevention
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Whatsapp<br>Participants will engage in Whatsapp chats on their smartphones during the taste test | Behavioral: Whatsapp<br> <br> |
| Placebo Comparator: Article<br>Participants will read a neutral article on their smartphones during the taste test | Behavioral: Article<br> <br> |
| Active Comparator: No Phone<br>Participants will not use their phones during the taste test | Behavioral: No Phone<br> <br> |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amount of food consumed | Number of grams of cereal eaten | 20 minutes | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Hunger ratings | Self-reported hunger ratings before and after the taste test | 10 minutes | 
| Taste ratings | Self-report on how much they enjoyed the two food products during the taste test | 20 minutes | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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external eating, technology