Testing a Novel Stress-induced Eating Intervention for Cancer Prevention

University of California, Los Angeles

Overview

Subjects will be enrolled in a stress-induced eating intervention with 5, 7, or 9 treatments or control. Treatment will comprise imagining a stressful event, engaging in a stress relief activity (Progressive Muscle Relaxation), and consuming a fruit once per day. There will be one lab visit at baseline in which participants undergo an acute laboratory stressor (i.e., speech and math tasks) and consume food from a buffet. There will be another lab visit at two weeks post-intervention. In the second (and final) lab visit, participants will repeat the acute laboratory stressor (i.e., speech and math tasks) and buffet, and additionally complete questionnaires about their experience in the study.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Conditions

7-dose Control - Progressive Muscle Relaxation Only 5-dose - Pairs Progressive Muscle Relaxation With Fruit 5 Consecutive Days 7-dose - Pairs Progressive Muscle Relaxation With Fruit 7 Consecutive Days

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * age 18 or older * fluent in English * access to an internet-connected device * reporting a neutral taste and moderate novelty for at least one fruit * reporting household size-adjusted income less than or equal to 200% of the federal poverty threshold * perceived stress scale score of 21.82 (1 SD above the national mean) * BMI 25 * scoring 3.23 on the Dutch Eating Behavior-Emotional Eating Questionnaire Exclusion Criteria: * on a diet that would compel them to refrain from eating food in the laboratory buffet * allergy to any foods presented in the buffet * selecting a fruit as one or more of top three choices of foods that would make them feel better if stressed

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Healthy Eating Index

The Healthy Eating Index was developed by the USDA to capture diet quality. The total score is able to capture both the healthiness of fruits and the unhealthiness of classic comfort foods that are high in calories, fat, and sugar.

Time frame: 14 days after last dose

Secondary Outcomes

Calorie intake

Calorie intake will be recorded across all the foods that the participants choose to eat in the outcome assessment buffet.

Time frame: 14 days after last dose

Acceptability/Credibility

The Credibility/Expectancy Questionnaire is a validated measure to access issues of intervention acceptability, credibility, and expectancy.

Time frame: 14 days after last dose

Testing a Novel Stress-induced Eating Intervention for Cancer Prevention

Overview

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes