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. 2017 Aug 10;12(8):e0182172.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0182172. eCollection 2017.

Objective quantification of the food proximity effect on grapes, chocolate and cracker consumption in a Swedish high school. A temporal analysis

Billy Langlet  1 , Petter Fagerberg  1 , Andrew Glossner  2 , Ioannis Ioakimidis  1
Affiliations

Objective quantification of the food proximity effect on grapes, chocolate and cracker consumption in a Swedish high school. A temporal analysis

Billy Langlet et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Close food proximity leads to increased short-term energy intake, potentially contributing to the long-term development of obesity. However, its precise effects on eating behaviour are still unclear, especially with food available for extended periods of time. This study involved two similar high school student groups (15-17 years old), which had ad libitum access to grapes, chocolates and crackers during an hour-long experimental session. In the distal condition the foods were placed 6 meters away from the students (n = 24), in contrast to the proximal condition (n = 17) were the food was placed near the students. The identification of the type and the quantification of the amount of each food selected, for each individual serving, was facilitated through use of food scales and video recording. In the proximal condition individuals served themselves grapes and crackers more often and consumed more chocolate than in the distal condition. In total, participants in the proximal condition ingested significantly more energy (726 kcal vs. 504 kcal; p = 0.029), without reporting higher fullness. Food proximity also affected the temporal distribution of servings, with the first five minutes of the sessions corresponding to 53.1% and 45.6% of the total energy intake for the distal and proximal conditions, respectively. After the first five minutes, the servings in the distal condition were strongly clustered in time, with many students getting food together. In the proximal condition however, students displayed an unstructured pattern of servings over time. In conclusion, this study strengthens past evidence regarding the important role of food proximity on individual energy intake and, for the first time, it associates continuous food proximity to the emergence of unstructured eating over time. These conclusions, expanded upon by future studies, could support the creation of meaningful intervention strategies based on spatially and temporally controlled food availability.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: I have read the journal's policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: - During the study Langlet B. and Ioakimidis I. received part of their salaries from Mandometer AB (Stockholm, Sweden), owner of the IPR for the Mandometer®. - During the study Glossner A. received his salary from Internationella Engelska Skolan (Stockholm, Sweden), a publicly subsidized educational organization and the location at which the study was performed. This does not alter any of the Authors’ adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Experimental setup.
The snack station positioning and the room in which the study was conducted, before receiving participants for the two tested conditions. A: distal and B: proximal.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Likert scale.
Comfortability question presented to participants on a Likert scale, after the experiment.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Mean energy intake per participant, per food type.
Mean energy intake of grapes, chocolate and crackers per participant, after 60 minutes, in the distal and proximal condition, respectively. * p < 0.05 (post-hoc testing, 2-way ANOVA).
Fig 4
Fig 4. Total energy content (kcal) per serving per individual in the two tested conditions, for each food item.
* p < 0.05 (post-hoc testing, 2-way ANOVA).
Fig 5
Fig 5. Temporal distribution of serving events.
The time point and energy load for each serving event of grapes, chocolate and crackers, in each condition.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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