NCT04862312

Video Chat During Meals to Improve Nutritional Intake in Older Adults

VideoDining: Using Video Chat to Improve Nutritional Intake in Older Adults

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 33 (actual)
• Sponsor: Cornell University · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 60 Years – 95 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

The VideoDining study is a Stage IB behavioral intervention development project. The objectives are to determine the feasibility and acceptability of using video chat during mealtimes (VideoDining) in community-dwelling older adults eating alone at home and to evaluate changes in nutritional intake and loneliness in response to VideoDining.

Detailed description

The U.S. population is growing older and more adults are aging at home alone, by choice, or due to a lack of affordable senior housing. Older adults who live alone have a less healthy eating pattern, eat a smaller variety of foods and consume fewer fruits and vegetables than those living with others. Additionally, eating alone, social isolation and loneliness often accompany living alone and are independent risk factors for lower caloric intake, less variety in the diet and malnutrition. Community-based interventions are needed to improve the nutritional status of older adults living alone. VideoDining uses video chat during mealtimes to virtually eat with another person and could provide social interactions and modeling to improve dietary intake in older adults eating alone. Extensive observational and experimental research shows that people eat more when dining with others than dining alone, called the social facilitation of eating. Additionally, a dining partner's modeling of eating can provide a guide for what and how much to eat. The investigators have conducted a Stage IA proof-of-concept study of VideoDining in older adults and will expand the development of this behavioral intervention with this study. The goals are to determine the feasibility and acceptability of VideoDining and to evaluate changes in nutritional intake and loneliness in response to multiple VideoDining sessions in community-dwelling older adults eating alone at home. In this single-arm intervention study, thirty older adult Meals on Wheels participants will be scheduled to VideoDine with a dining partner six times. Using a mixed-methods approach, the investigators will collect data on older adults' ability to VideoDine, acceptance of VideoDining, dietary intake, and loneliness. Data will be collected before starting VideoDining, after each VideoDining session, and at the end of the study period. Development, adaptation and refinement of the VideoDining intervention are additional key outcomes of this study.

Conditions

• Malnutrition
• Loneliness

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	VideoDine	Participants will VideoDine with a dining partner at least six times during an eight week period. VideoDining involves sharing a meal with someone not physically present using video chat technology. Dining partners will be recruited, trained and paired with participants. Participants will be provided Amazon Echo Show devices for video chat.

Timeline

• Start date: 2021-03-31
• Primary completion: 2022-05-17
• Completion: 2022-05-17
• First posted: 2021-04-27
• Last updated: 2022-09-26

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States