Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Subjective hunger, satiety, and appetite impact energy intake, so interventions addressing these are needed for weight management. This study examined effects on hunger, satiety, and appetite ratings when adding a self-monitoring wearable device to an 8-week weight loss intervention focused on reducing eating rate and dietary energy density, while increasing energy expenditure. The wrist-worn Eat Less Move More (ELMM) device tracks eating rate in seconds between bites, by time stamp and detection of wrist-roll motion, and tracks bites and steps taken. METHODS: Seventy-two adults with overweight or obesity (age, 37.7 ± 15.3 years; BMI, 31.3 ± 3.2 kg/m(2)) were randomized into two groups: intervention workbook only, or intervention workbook plus device. Before and after the intervention, participants consumed a standardized laboratory test meal after an overnight fast, and rated their hunger, satiety, desire to eat, and thirst on Visual Analog Scales (VAS) pre- and post-meal, 20 minutes post-meal, and 60 minutes post-meal initiation. RESULTS: A 2 × 2 repeated measures MANOVA with fasting VAS ratings showed a significant time by group interaction (Wilks' lambda = 0.81, F(4,66 )= 4.00, P = 0.007, partial eta squared = 0.19). Follow-up analyses showed a significant time by group effect for hunger (F(1,69 )= 9.56, P = 0.003, partial eta squared = 0.12), satiety (F(1,69 )= 5.23, P = 0.025, partial eta squared = 0.07), and desire to eat (F(1,69 )= 5.73, P = 0.02, partial eta squared = 0.08), but not for thirst. Post-meal analyses showed a significant group difference when controlling for total amount consumed (grams) and eating rate (grams/minute) (Wilks' lambda = 0.75, F(4,64 )= 5.24, P = 0.001, partial eta squared = 0.25). Follow-up post-meal analyses showed a significant group effect for satiety (F(1,67 )= 7.02, P = 0.01, partial eta squared = 0.10), but not for hunger, desire to eat or thirst. Thus, participants who had used the self-monitoring device reported reduced pre-meal hunger, increased satiety, and reduced desire to eat, as well as increased post-meal satiety, when compared to those who had not used the device. CONCLUSIONS: These findings demonstrate that the addition of a self-monitoring device to a weight loss intervention focused on reducing eating rate, decreasing energy density, and increasing energy expenditure may be beneficial. FUNDING SOURCES: The Obesity Society.