NCT01511484

Brief Summary

This study investigated whether illustration of the facial appearance benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption is able to motivate increased intake of this food group. The investigators hypothesize that individuals witnessing illustrations of the impact of a healthy diet will exhibit improvements in diet relative to a control group receiving only information on the health-benefits of this food group.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
73

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Feb 2011

Shorter than P25 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

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Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

February 1, 2011

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

June 1, 2011

Completed
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

June 1, 2011

Completed
7 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

December 23, 2011

Completed
26 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

January 18, 2012

Completed
Last Updated

January 18, 2012

Status Verified

January 1, 2012

Enrollment Period

4 months

First QC Date

December 23, 2011

Last Update Submit

January 12, 2012

Conditions

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Keywords

fruitvegetablesappearanceskin colorcarotenoidsdiet

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Fruit and vegetable consumption

    Participants completed a computerised food frequency questionnaire to establish fruit and vegetable consumption. Participants were asked to retrospectively report consumption frequency of fruit juice, fruit, vegetable juice, salad, vegetable soup and vegetable items over the past seven days. Participants reported consumption of standard portion sizes and were provided with NHS illustrations of portion size guidelines to assist estimations.

    up to 10 weeks

Study Arms (3)

Information-only

EXPERIMENTAL

Selected pages from the British National Health Service (NHS) information booklets \["5 A Day, Just Eat More (fruit \& veg)"; pages i, ii, 12-15, 20 \& 21\] and \["5 A Day, Just Eat More (fruit \& veg): What's it all about?"; pages i-ii)\] were provided to all participants on completion of baseline questionnaires. The pages provided information on recommended portion sizes, meal planning, health benefits and answered frequently asked diet-related questions

Behavioral: Information-only

Generic-appearance intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in the generic appearance intervention group received images to illustrate the impact of fruit and vegetable consumption on skin appearance. Participants in this group were presented with gender congruent stimuli, constructed by averaging the facial shape and colour of four male/female faces. Participants viewed the gender-congruent set of the resulting stimuli in two forms. Firstly, after completion of baseline questionnaires, images were displayed on a computer monitor. Participants were instructed to select what they perceived as the healthiest face colour, which was recorded by the computer program over two trials. Participants in this group also received a take-home photo quality leaflet to further illustrate the effect of fruit and vegetable consumption on skin colour.

Behavioral: Generic appearance intervention

Personalised appearance intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants in this group received stimuli manipulated in identical ways to that received by the generic appearance-intervention group, except the illustrations were performed upon images of the participant's own face.

Behavioral: Personalised appearance intervention

Interventions

Information-onlyBEHAVIORAL

Selected pages from the British National Health Service (NHS) information booklets \["5 A Day, Just Eat More (fruit \& veg)"; pages i, ii, 12-15, 20 \& 21\] and \["5 A Day, Just Eat More (fruit \& veg): What's it all about?"; pages i-ii)\] were provided to all participants on completion of baseline questionnaires. The pages provided information on recommended portion sizes, meal planning, health benefits and answered frequently asked diet-related questions

Information-only
Generic appearance interventionBEHAVIORAL

Participants in the generic appearance intervention group received images to illustrate the impact of fruit and vegetable consumption on skin appearance. Participants in this group were presented with gender congruent stimuli, constructed by averaging the facial shape and colour of four male/female faces. Participants viewed the gender-congruent set of the resulting stimuli in two forms. Firstly, after completion of baseline questionnaires, images were displayed on a computer monitor. Participants were instructed to select what they perceived as the healthiest face colour, which was recorded by the computer program over two trials. Participants in this group also received a take-home photo quality leaflet to further illustrate the effect of fruit and vegetable consumption on skin colour.

Generic-appearance intervention
Personalised appearance interventionBEHAVIORAL

Participants in this group received stimuli manipulated in identical ways to that received by the generic appearance-intervention group, except the illustrations were performed upon images of the participant's own face.

Personalised appearance intervention

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 61 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

  • Student or staff member at University of St Andrews
  • Has access to email account to receive link to weekly online questionnaire.

You may not qualify if:

  • Exited study before completion
  • Unable to make dietary changes due to a medical condition

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Perception Lab, School of Psychology, University of St Andrews

St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9JP, United Kingdom

Location

Related Publications (4)

  • Stephen ID, Coetzee, V, Perrett D. Carotenoid and Melanin Pigment Coloration Affect Perceived Human Health. Evolution and Human Behaviour.32(3): 216-227. 2011.

    BACKGROUND

  • Stephen ID, Law Smith MJ, Stirrat MR, Perrett DI. Facial Skin Coloration Affects Perceived Health of Human Faces. Int J Primatol. 2009 Dec;30(6):845-857. doi: 10.1007/s10764-009-9380-z. Epub 2009 Oct 26.

    PMID: 19946602BACKGROUND

  • Whitehead RD, Ozakinci G, Stephen ID, Perrett DI. Appealing to vanity: could potential appearance improvement motivate fruit and vegetable consumption? Am J Public Health. 2012 Feb;102(2):207-11. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300405. Epub 2011 Dec 15.

    PMID: 22390433BACKGROUND

  • Whitehead RD, Ozakinci G, Perrett DI. A randomized controlled trial of an appearance-based dietary intervention. Health Psychol. 2014 Jan;33(1):99-102. doi: 10.1037/a0032322. Epub 2013 Mar 25.

    PMID: 23527517DERIVED

Study Officials

  • Ross D Whitehead, MSc

    University of St Andrews

    STUDY DIRECTOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
PREVENTION
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

December 23, 2011

First Posted

January 18, 2012

Study Start

February 1, 2011

Primary Completion

June 1, 2011

Study Completion

June 1, 2011

Last Updated

January 18, 2012

Record last verified: 2012-01

Locations

GB(1)