scholarly journals The influence of supraliminal priming on energy density of food selection: a randomised control trial

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Schlegel ◽  
Sharon A. Carstairs ◽  
Gozde Ozakinci
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Lower Energy ◽  
Food Selection ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Randomised Control Trial ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Overweight Adults ◽  
University Athletes

Abstract Background 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. However, it is currently unclear which method of priming achieves the best results. Aims 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. Methods Our study observed the foods selected by university athletes after their sports matches. Before the match, half of the participants were primed by asking them to choose a LED snack from the options we offered, which they would receive after the match. The remaining half of participants were not asked this same question. To distract the athletes from our observation of their food choices, participants completed a task prior to choosing their snack, which was disguised as a ‘thank you’ for taking part. Results Overall, we found the priming group did not choose LED foods significantly more than the control group, hence priming did not increase LED food selection. Conclusion Importantly, our results indicate that priming must be more noticeable to achieve its goal. Additionally, we demonstrated that priming may be less successful for young athletic individuals, compared to older and more overweight adults recruited in other studies. This highlights the importance of studying a broader demographic range of individuals from the general population. We support future research into this area, which will help us to tweak priming to achieve the best outcomes. Trial registration ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN74601698. Date registered: 02/10/2020 (retrospectively registered).

Personalized coupons for lower-calorie fast-food choices among young German adults and the influence of consumers' nutritional attitudes on promotion effectiveness

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minh Thi Thuy Nguyen ◽  
Agnes Emberger-Klein ◽  
Klaus Menrad
Keyword(s):  
Fast Food ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Grocery Stores ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Content Type

PurposePersonalized price promotion (PPP) is a marketing instrument that addresses the limitations of untargeted promotions by tailoring the offers to individual customers based on their purchase histories. Current evidence on PPP is limited to its immediate effects on buying behaviors at grocery stores and food companies' economic benefits. Moreover, little is known about the role of consumer characteristics in determining how effectively this promotional tool works. Hence, we aim to assess the effectiveness of PPP in promoting healthy fast food and which consumer-specific factors affect its performance.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conduct a laboratory experiment to examine the effects of personalized and non-personalized coupons for lower-calorie fast food menus on food and calorie selection. The coupon personalization is based on participants' menu choices, calorie needs and deal proneness. The authors additionally investigate how post-intervention changes are influenced by consumers' estimation of their selected calories, and their attitudes toward nutrition.FindingsRecipients of personalized incentives are more likely than participants in the control group to redeem the offered coupons, select more healthy items and reduce their selected calories. Such changes are less likely among participants underestimating the calorie content of their menu choices and perceiving higher barriers to healthy eating. Personalized coupons perform better even among subjects receiving lower discounting levels than the control treatment.Originality/valueAs the first to evaluate the effectiveness of PPP in encouraging healthy food choices, this study highlights the potential of this cutting-edge price intervention and provides valuable implications for future research.

The Effect of Pre-Consultation Information Videos on Patients Undergoing Carpal Tunnel Surgery: A Randomised Control Trial (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reece Tso ◽  
Tristan Symonds ◽  
Justin Smith ◽  
Peter Bovey
Keyword(s):  
Patient Satisfaction ◽  
Carpal Tunnel ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Randomised Control Trial ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Carpal Tunnel Surgery ◽  
Consultation Time ◽  
Web Based Education

BACKGROUND Preoperative patient education is essential in ensuring patient satisfaction and optimising outcomes. With advances in technology, web-based education for preoperative care has become a useful tool to enhance in person consultations. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the effect of web-based pre-consultation education videos on patient satisfaction and consultation time for patients undergoing carpal tunnel surgery (CTS). METHODS A randomised control study was conducted in Townsville. Participants were randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive either a web-based or no pre-consultation video prior to consultation. After the consultation, patients completed a Likert scale questionnaire on the content of the video and their overall satisfaction with it. Consultation time was measured from the time patients entered the room to when they exited the room. Statistical analysis was performed using Stata V16. RESULTS There were 60 patients included in the analysis, with 30 in the intervention group and 30 in the control group. The results demonstrated a marginally higher satisfaction rate with the intervention group compared to the control group however this was not statistically significant (77% vs 70%, p = 0.559). Additionally, consultation time was found to be lower in the intervention group (6.4 minutes) when compared to the control group (12 minutes), with very strong evidence to suggest an association (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that participants undergoing carpal tunnel surgery who engaged in pre consultation web-based education had a decreased consultation time and similar overall satisfaction. This suggests that web-based education may have a beneficial role for both surgeons and patients. Future research should be conducted to determine the optimal web-based education and to consider needs based education as a means of increasing patient satisfaction.

scholarly journals Quality of life in urologic cancer patients: importance of and satisfaction with specific quality of life domains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katja Leuteritz ◽  
Diana Richter ◽  
Anja Mehnert-Theuerkauf ◽  
Jens-Uwe Stolzenburg ◽  
Andreas Hinz
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
General Population ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Patient Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Health Related Qol ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Importance Ratings ◽  
Subjective Importance

Abstract Purpose Quality of life (QoL) has been the subject of increasing interest in oncology. Most examinations of QoL have focused on health-related QoL, while other factors often remain unconsidered. Moreover, QoL questionnaires implicitly assume that the subjective importance of the various QoL domains is identical from one patient to the next. The aim of this study was to analyze QoL in a broader sense, considering the subjective importance of the QoL components. Methods A sample of 173 male urologic patients was surveyed twice: once while hospitalized (t1) and once again 3 months later (t2). Patients completed the Questions on Life Satisfaction questionnaire (FLZ-M), which includes satisfaction and importance ratings for eight dimensions of QoL. A control group was taken from the general population (n = 477). Results Health was the most important QoL dimension for both the patient and the general population groups. While satisfaction with health was low in the patient group, the satisfaction ratings of the other seven domains were higher in the patient group than in the general population. The satisfaction with the domain partnership/sexuality showed a significant decline from t1 to t2. Multiple regression analyses showed that the domains health and income contributed most strongly to the global QoL score at t2 in the patient group. Conclusion Health is not the only relevant category when assessing QoL in cancer patients; social relationships and finances are pertinent as well. Importance ratings contribute to a better understanding of the relevance of the QoL dimensions for the patients.

scholarly journals Physical activity coaching for adults with mobility limitations: protocol for the ComeBACK pragmatic hybrid effectiveness-implementation type 1 randomised controlled trial

BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. e034696
Author(s):  
Leanne Hassett ◽  
Anne Tiedemann ◽  
Rana S Hinman ◽  
Maria Crotty ◽  
Tammy Hoffmann ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Text Messages ◽  
Waiting List ◽  
Randomised Control Trial ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Mobility Limitations ◽  
Intervention Package ◽  
Motivational Resources

IntroductionMobility limitation is common and often results from neurological and musculoskeletal health conditions, ageing and/or physical inactivity. In consultation with consumers, clinicians and policymakers, we have developed two affordable and scalable intervention packages designed to enhance physical activity for adults with self-reported mobility limitations. Both are based on behaviour change theories and involve tailored advice from physiotherapists.Methods and analysisThis pragmatic hybrid effectiveness-implementation type 1 randomised control trial (n=600) will be undertaken among adults with self-reported mobility limitations. It aims to estimate the effects on physical activity of: (1) an enhanced 6-month intervention package (one face-to-face physiotherapy assessment, tailored physical activity plan, physical activity phone coaching from a physiotherapist, informational/motivational resources and activity monitors) compared with a less intensive 6-month intervention package (single session of tailored phone advice from a physiotherapist, tailored physical activity plan, unidirectional text messages, informational/motivational resources); (2) the enhanced intervention package compared with no intervention (6-month waiting list control group); and (3) the less intensive intervention package compared with no intervention (waiting list control group). The primary outcome will be average steps per day, measured with the StepWatch Activity Monitor over a 1-week period, 6 months after randomisation. Secondary outcomes include other physical activity measures, measures of health and functioning, individualised mobility goal attainment, mental well-being, quality of life, rate of falls, health utilisation and intervention evaluation. The hybrid effectiveness-implementation design (type 1) will be used to enable the collection of secondary implementation outcomes at the same time as the primary effectiveness outcome. An economic analysis will estimate the cost-effectiveness and cost-utility of the interventions compared with no intervention and to each other.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been obtained by Sydney Local Health District, Royal Prince Alfred Zone. Dissemination will be via publications, conferences, newsletters, talks and meetings with health managers.Trial registration numberACTRN12618001983291.

scholarly journals Women’s perceptions of factors influencing their food shopping choices and how supermarkets can support them to make healthier choices

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Preeti Dhuria ◽  
Wendy Lawrence ◽  
Sarah Crozier ◽  
Cyrus Cooper ◽  
Janis Baird ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Eating ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Food Choices ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Telephone Interviews ◽  
Food Shopping ◽  
Women’S Perceptions

Abstract Objectives To examine women’s perceptions of factors that influence their food shopping choices, particularly in relation to store layout, and their views on ways that supermarkets could support healthier choices. Design This qualitative cross-sectional study used semi-structured telephone interviews to ask participants the reasons for their choice of supermarket and factors in-store that prompted their food selections. The actions supermarkets, governments and customers could take to encourage healthier food choices were explored with women. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes. Setting Six supermarkets across England. Participants Twenty women customers aged 18–45 years. Results Participants had a median age of 39.5 years (IQR: 35.1, 42.3), a median weekly grocery spend of £70 (IQR: 50, 88), and 44% had left school aged 16 years. Women reported that achieving value for money, feeling hungry, tired, or stressed, and meeting family members’ food preferences influenced their food shopping choices. The physical environment was important, including product quality and variety, plus ease of accessing the store or products in-store. Many participants described how they made unintended food selections as a result of prominent placement of unhealthy products in supermarkets, even if they adopted more conscious approaches to food shopping (i.e. written or mental lists). Participants described healthy eating as a personal responsibility, but some stated that governments and supermarkets could be more supportive. Conclusions This study highlighted that in-store environments can undermine intentions to purchase and consume healthy foods. Creating healthier supermarket environments could reduce the burden of personal responsibility for healthy eating, by making healthier choices easier. Future research could explore the interplay of personal, societal and commercial responsibility for food choices and health status.

scholarly journals Oxidative Stress in Non-Dialysis-Dependent Chronic Kidney Disease Patients

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 7806
Author(s):  
Patricia Tomás-Simó ◽  
Luis D’Marco ◽  
María Romero-Parra ◽  
Mari Carmen Tormos-Muñoz ◽  
Guillermo Sáez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Chronic Kidney Disease ◽  
Kidney Disease ◽  
Reduced Glutathione ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Dialysis Patients ◽  
Early Stages ◽  
Molecular Lines

Background: Cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality at any stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Moreover, the high rate of cardiovascular mortality observed in these patients is associated with an accelerated atherosclerosis process that likely starts at the early stages of CKD. Thus, traditional and non-traditional or uremic-related factors represent a link between CKD and cardiovascular risk. Among non-conventional risk factors, particular focus has been placed on anaemia, mineral and bone disorders, inflammation, malnutrition and oxidative stress and, in this regard, connections have been reported between oxidative stress and cardiovascular disease in dialysis patients. Methods: We evaluated the oxidation process in different molecular lines (proteins, lipids and genetic material) in 155 non-dialysis patients at different stages of CKD and 45 healthy controls. To assess oxidative stress status, we analyzed oxidized glutathione (GSSG), reduced glutathione (GSH) and the oxidized/reduced glutathione ratio (GSSG/GSH) and other oxidation indicators, including malondialdehyde (MDA) and 8-oxo-2’-deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG). Results: An active grade of oxidative stress was found from the early stages of CKD onwards, which affected all of the molecular lines studied. We observed a heightened oxidative state (indicated by a higher level of oxidized molecules together with decreased levels of antioxidant molecules) as kidney function declined. Furthermore, oxidative stress-related alterations were significantly greater in CKD patients than in the control group. Conclusions: CKD patients exhibit significantly higher oxidative stress than healthy individuals, and these alterations intensify as eGFR declines, showing significant differences between CKD stages. Thus, future research is warranted to provide clearer results in this area.

scholarly journals Circulating miRNA-202-3p is a potential novel biomarker for diagnosis of type 1 gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dou Dou ◽  
Xiao-kou Li ◽  
Qi-sheng Xia ◽  
Ying-ying Chen ◽  
Yuan-liang Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Characteristics ◽  
Matched Control ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Neuroendocrine Neoplasms ◽  
Diagnostic Biomarkers ◽  
Standard Curve ◽  
Qrt Pcr ◽  
Age And Sex

Abstract Background Currently, there are no circulating diagnostic biomarkers for gastric neuroendocrine neoplasms (g-NENs). In previous studies, we found that miRNA-202-3p is overexpressed in the tumour tissue of type 1 g-NEN. We speculated that miRNA-202-3p is also likely to be highly expressed in circulating blood. Methods A total of 27 patients with type 1 g-NEN and 27 age- and sex-matched control participants were enrolled in this study. The miRNA-202-3p levels in serum obtained from the participants were measured by qRT‐PCR. The expression level of miRNA-202-3p in the samples was calculated by comparison with a standard curve. Results The clinical characteristics of the patients were similar to those of the patient samples in previous reports. Expression of miRNA-202-3p was significantly higher in the patient group (3.84 × 107 copies/nl) than in the control group (0.635 × 107 copies/nl). The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 0.878 (95% CI: 0.788–0.968), and the optimal cut-off point was approximately 1.12 × 107 copies/nl. The sensitivity and specificity were 88.9% and 77.8%, respectively. Conclusion This study suggests that miRNA-202-3p is potentially useful as a biomarker of type 1 g-NEN; further investigation and verification should be performed in future research.

Acquiring variable commands at home and abroad: Examining optatives and imperatives in L1 and L2 Spanish

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-113
Author(s):  
Farrah Neumann ◽  
Matthew Kanwit
Keyword(s):  
Second Language ◽  
Second Language Acquisition ◽  
Study Abroad ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Applied Linguistics ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Individual ◽  
At Home

AbstractSince many linguistic structures are variable (i. e. conveyed by multiple forms), building a second-language grammar critically involves developing sociolinguistic competence (Canale and Swain. 1980. Theoretical bases of communicative approaches to second language teaching and testing. Applied Linguistics 1(1). 1–47), including knowledge of contexts in which to use one form over another (Bayley and Langman. 2004. Variation in the group and the individual: Evidence from second language acquisition. International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching 42(4). 303–318). Consequently, researchers interested in such competence have increasingly analyzed the study-abroad context to gauge learners’ ability to approximate local norms following a stay abroad, due to the quality and quantity of input to which learners may gain access (Lafford. 2006. The effects of study abroad vs. classroom contexts on Spanish SLA: Old assumptions, new insights and future research directions. In Carol Klee & Timothy Face (eds.), Selected proceedings of the 7th conference on the acquisition of Spanish and Portuguese as first and second languages, 1–25. Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Proceedings Project). Nevertheless, the present study is the first to examine native or learner variation between imperative (e. g. ven ‘come’) and optative Spanish commands (e. g. que vengas ‘come’). We first performed a corpus analysis to determine the linguistic factors to manipulate in a contextualized task, which elicited commands from learners before and after four weeks abroad in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Their overall rates of selection and predictive factors were compared to local native speakers (NSs) and a control group of at-home learners.Results revealed that the abroad learners more closely approached NS rates of selection following the stay abroad. Nonetheless, for both learner groups conditioning by independent variables only partially approximated the NS system, which was more complex than previously suggested.

scholarly journals Personalized Biometrics of Physical Pain Agree with Psychophysics by Participants with Sensory over Responsivity

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 93
Author(s):  
Jihye Ryu ◽  
Tami Bar-Shalita ◽  
Yelena Granovsky ◽  
Irit Weissman-Fogel ◽  
Elizabeth B. Torres
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Summary Statistics ◽  
Physical Pain ◽  
New Methods ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Theoretical Population ◽  
The Moment ◽  
Reported Data

The study of pain requires a balance between subjective methods that rely on self-reports and complementary objective biometrics that ascertain physical signals associated with subjective accounts. There are at present no objective scales that enable the personalized assessment of pain, as most work involving electrophysiology rely on summary statistics from a priori theoretical population assumptions. Along these lines, recent work has provided evidence of differences in pain sensations between participants with Sensory Over Responsivity (SOR) and controls. While these analyses are useful to understand pain across groups, there remains a need to quantify individual differences more precisely in a personalized manner. Here we offer new methods to characterize pain using the moment-by-moment standardized fluctuations in EEG brain activity centrally reflecting the person’s experiencing temperature-based stimulation at the periphery. This type of gross data is often disregarded as noise, yet here we show its utility to characterize the lingering sensation of discomfort raising to the level of pain, individually, for each participant. We show fundamental differences between the SOR group in relation to controls and provide an objective account of pain congruent with the subjective self-reported data. This offers the potential to build a standardized scale useful to profile pain levels in a personalized manner across the general population.

scholarly journals Effect of exergaming on wellbeing of residents in a nursing home: a single blinded intervention study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlies Gunst ◽  
Isabelle De Meyere ◽  
Hannah Willems ◽  
Birgitte Schoenmakers
Keyword(s):  
Intervention Study ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Mental Wellbeing ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Average Intensity

Abstract Introduction To improve the quality of life in nursing homes, meaningful activities and social contact are indispensable. Exergames can play a role addressing these needs. Methods In a randomized single blinded controlled intervention study, we investigated the effect of playing exergames on general wellbeing, fun and on social interaction. Results Thirty-five residents participated: 18 residents took part in the intervention group and 17 in the control group. The median mental wellbeing score of the intervention group increased from 42/50 to 45. The median sleep score of the intervention increased from 23/30 to 28. The median pain score of the intervention group improved from 18/20 to 20. The median score on subjective cognition increased from 24/30 to 26 while the mean scores on the objective assessment decreased from 1.8/2 to 1.7. Coaches gave an average fun score of 8.9/10 and an average intensity of exercise score of 11.6/20. Residents and coaches appreciated the social contact. Coaches reported a high feasibility (average of 4.1/5) but a low accessibility and a high intensity of supervision. Conclusions Exergaming is a feasible and pleasant complement to the usual activities with a positive impact on wellbeing, sleep, pain, and perceived cognition. Future research should focus on vulnerable groups and aim to develop a study in an implementation design.

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