Video Chat During Meals to Improve Nutritional Intake in Older Adults (VideoDining)

Cornell University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Malnutrition; Loneliness

Treatments: Behavioral: VideoDine

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT04862312

002254837 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

2011009963

Details and patient eligibility

About

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.

Full 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.

Enrollment: 33 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 60 to 95 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

1. Receive Meals-on-Wheels meals from Foodnet in Tompkins County, NY.
2. Aged 60-95 years old.
3. Consume Meals-on-Wheels meal alone.

Exclusion criteria

1. Non-English speaking.
2. Unable to read and write in English.
3. Inadequate vision and hearing to utilize video chat technology.
4. Unable cognitively to independently consent and participate in the study.
5. Already own and use an Amazon Echo Show.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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33 participants in 1 patient group

VideoDine

Experimental group

Description:

Use of video chat to eat a meal with a dining partner.

Treatment:

Behavioral: VideoDine