Food Texture, Eating Rate and Food Intake in Care Home Older Adults.

NCT06832488 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: IRAS 346597
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

It's estimated that around 1 in 10 older adults are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition in the UK. In comparison with the general older adult population, care home residents are more likely to be underweight. Many factors can affect food intake and choices of older adults. The previous studies of this PhD project have shown that 1) older adults who eat slower, consume less food and 2) that there are food textures that are consumed at a significantly faster pace than others. Following these results, this research will specifically aim to test if providing meals including food textures that require reduced oral processing can increase eating rate and total food intake in care home dwelling older adults. The potential benefits of this research is to inform how providing appropriate food textures can increase older adults (dwelling in care homes) eating speed, ease oral processing and consequently improve food intake, which can help towards better overall health and quality of life. Participants will be asked to take part in two study days, one week apart. On the one day they will consume all meals including textures that require reduced oral processing ("easier" food textures), and on the other day all meals including textures that require increased oral processing ("more difficult" food textures). The meals will be balanced for energy content per portion, and all foods will be within the normal range of foods provided in care homes. The researchers will record food and energy intake from each meal, duration of meal and calculate eating rate of each meal. The research will be recruiting from care homes around England, who have reviewed and agreed will all parts of the research. Participants who consume a regular diet can be included.

Conditions

Malnutrition

Keywords

Older adults; Food intake; Food texture; Eating rate; Care homes; Appetite

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Total daily food and energy intake

  To compare the total food and energy intake of the meals with textures that require reduced oral processing (day with easier to eat textures) versus the meals with textures that require increased oral processing (day with more difficult to eat texts)

  1 day for each diet

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Food and energy intake of each meal

  Up to 30 minutes for each meal

• Eating rate

  Up to 30 minutes for each meal

• Self-reported appetite and meal liking ratings

  2 minutes before and 2 minutes after each meal

Study Arms (2)

Day 1 receiving easier to eat food textures and day 8 receiving more difficult to eat textures

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

In this arm participants will receive in the first intervention day the easier to eat food textures and in the second (day 8 after washout) the more difficult to eat food textures

Behavioral: Diet

Day 1 receiving more difficult to eat food textures and day 8 receiving easier to eat textures

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

In this arm participants will receive in the first intervention day the more difficult to eat food textures and in the second (day 8 after washout) the easier to eat food textures

Behavioral: Diet

Interventions

Diet BEHAVIORAL

To compare the total food and energy intake of the diet with textures that require reduced oral processing versus the diet with textures that require increased oral processing by measuring weight before and after consumption of each meal and snack

Day 1 receiving easier to eat food textures and day 8 receiving more difficult to eat textures; Day 1 receiving more difficult to eat food textures and day 8 receiving easier to eat textures

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 65 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Care homes:
• Care or residential homes, that host older adult residents that are not in end-of-life care or have solely nursing needs
• Participants:
• Aged 65+
• Permanent care home residents, living in the care home for at least one month
• Able to provide consent or if not having capacity to consent to have a consultee that can provide consent (noting that residents without capacity to consent will be asked for their assent)
• Able to consume a "regular" care home diet
• Not on any special diet (i.e., for dysphagia, kidney disease etc.)
• Able to consume at least 1 meal a day
• Not being critically ill or on end-of-life care
• Not allergic or intolerant or dislike completely any foods or ingredients in the meals provided

You may not qualify if:

• Care homes:
• That solely provide nursing or end-of-life care
• Participants:
• Aged \<65 years
• Not living in a care home or living in the care home for less than one month
• Not able to provide consent either by themselves or by a consultee
• Under a special diet and/or not able to consume a "regular" care home diet
• Not able to consume at least 1 meal a day
• Being critically ill/end of life care
• Having allergies/intolerances/aversions to ingredients and foods of the meals provided

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Reading: lead

Study Sites (1)

University of Reading

Reading, United Kingdom

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Malnutrition

Interventions

Diet

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Diet, Food, and Nutrition; Physiological Phenomena

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: February 13, 2025
• First Posted: February 18, 2025
• Study Start: July 29, 2025
• Primary Completion: September 25, 2025
• Study Completion: September 25, 2025
• Last Updated: December 12, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

GB (1)