The Effect of Food Unit Sizes and Meal Serving Occasions on Eating Behaviour Characteristics: Within Person Randomised Crossover Studies on Healthy Women

Manipulating food properties and serving environment during a meal can significantly change food intake at group level. However, the evaluation of the usefulness of such manipulations requires an understanding of individual behavioural changes. Three studies were conducted to explore the effect of unit size and meal occasion on eating behaviour characteristics (food intake, meal duration, number of bites and chews). All studies used a randomised crossover design, with a one-week wash-out period, starting with a familiarisation meal, with the participation of healthy, normal weight females between the ages of 18–35 years. In Study 1 (n = 19) three cube sizes (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 cm3) of vegetable hash and chicken were compared. In Study 2 (n = 18) mashed potatoes and mincemeat were compared to whole potatoes and meatballs. In Study 3 (n = 29) meals served at lunch time (11:00–13:00) were compared to identical meals served at dinner time (17:00–19:00). The largest food unit size lead to significantly increased meal duration in Study 2 (mean difference 0.9 min, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.0–1.8), but not in Study 1 (mean difference 1 min, 95% CI 0.1–2.0). There was a significant increase in number of chews in the large unit size condition of both Study 1 (mean difference 88, 95% CI 12–158) and Study 2 (mean difference 95, 95% CI 12–179). Different serving occasions did not significantly change any of the eating behaviours measured. Except for number of bites in Study 2 (R2 = 0.60), most individuals maintained their eating behaviour relative to the group across unit sizes and serving occasions conditions (R2 > 0.75), which suggests single meal testing can provide information about the behavioural characteristics of individual eating styles under different conditions

Ultra-processed food advertisements dominate the food advertising landscape in two Stockholm areas with low vs high socioeconomic status. Is it time for regulatory action?

Background Ultra-processed food consumption is a risk factor for obesity and has a negative environmental impact. Food companies spend billions of dollars on advertisements each year to increase the consumption of ultra-processed food. In Australia, USA, and New Zealand, most food advertisements around schools and in train stations promote ultra-processed food, but no similar studies have been conducted in Sweden. The aim of this study was to explore the proportion of ultra-processed food advertisements in two districts of Stockholm, Sweden with low vs. high socioeconomic status (SES). Methods Two independent researchers (per area) mapped all advertisements, including storefronts, in two Stockholm districts. During consecutive days, all advertisements were photographed in Skärholmen (low SES district), and Östermalmstorg (high SES district), on the streets inside and outside the subway stations, as well as inside and outside of local shopping malls. Advertisements promoting food products were identified and a trained dietician categorized whether they promoted ultra-processed foods. Chi-Square test was conducted to test for differences in the proportion of ultra-processed food advertisements between the two study areas. Results In total, 4092 advertisements were photographed in Skärholmen (n = 1935) and Östermalm (n = 2157). 32.8% of all advertisements promoted food, while 65.4% of food advertisements promoted ultra-processed foods. A significantly higher proportion of ultra-processed food advertisements out of total food advertisements was identified in the low SES area, irrespective of the researcher taking the pictures (74.6% vs. 61.8%, p &lt; 0.001 and 70.4% vs. 54.8%, p = 0.001). There was no significant difference in the proportion of food advertisements out of total advertisements between the two areas. Conclusions This study provides initial evidence about the scale and the differences in exposure to food advertisements across areas in Stockholm. The observed high proportion of ultra-processed food advertisements is concerning and is in sharp contrast to the Swedish dietary guidelines that recommend reduced consumption of such foods. Based on our results, residents in low SES areas might be more exposed to ultra-processed food advertisements than those in high SES areas in Stockholm. If such findings are confirmed in additional areas, they should be considered during the deployment of food advertisement regulatory actions.Funding Agencies|European Communitys ICT Programme [727688]</p

Stability of personality traits over a five-year period in Swedish patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder and non-psychotic individuals: a study using the Swedish universities scales of personality

Background Personality is considered as an important aspect in persons with psychotic disorders. Several studies have investigated personality in schizophrenia. However, no study has investigated stability of personality traits exceeding three years in patients with schizophrenia. This study aims to investigate the stability of personality traits over a five-year period among patients with schizophrenia and non-psychotic individuals and to evaluate case-control differences. Methods Patients with psychotic disorders (n = 36) and non-psychotic individuals (n = 76) completed Swedish universities Scales of Personality (SSP) at two occasions five years apart. SSP scores were analysed for effect of time and case-control differences by multiple analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and within-subjects correlation. Results MANCOVA within-subjects analysis did not show any effect of time. Thus, SSP mean scale scores did not significantly vary during the five-year interval. Within subject correlations (Spearman) ranged 0.30–0.68 and 0.54–0.75 for the different SSP scales in patients and controls, respectively. Patients scored higher than controls in SSP scales Somatic Trait Anxiety, Psychic Trait Anxiety, Stress Susceptibility, Lack of Assertiveness, Detachment, Embitterment, and Mistrust. Conclusion The stability of the SSP personality trait was reasonably high among patients with psychotic disorder, although lower than among non-psychotic individuals, which is in accordance with previous research

Serving event characteristics per participant in the two experimental conditions.

<p>Serving event characteristics per participant in the two experimental conditions.</p

Mean energy intake per participant, per food type.

<p>Mean energy intake of grapes, chocolate and crackers per participant, after 60 minutes, in the distal and proximal condition, respectively. * p < 0.05 (post-hoc testing, 2-way ANOVA).</p