Finger Food, Pleasure at Your Fingertips: Randomized Pilot Study, Open-label and Parallel Groups

Launched by UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, TOURS · May 20, 2022

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "Finger Food, Pleasure at Your Fingertips," is exploring a new way for elderly residents in care facilities to eat. The study focuses on providing food in easy-to-grip bites that can be eaten with fingers. This approach aims to help those who have trouble eating due to undernutrition. By making it easier and more enjoyable to eat, researchers hope to see improvements in weight, food intake, and overall independence for participants.

To be eligible to join the study, participants must be over 75 years old and have lived in a care facility for at least three months. They should also have experienced significant unintentional weight loss or show signs of muscle loss. Participants will need to give their consent to join and must have access to social security benefits. Those who have swallowing difficulties, certain specific diets, or other medical conditions may not be able to participate. If you join, you can expect to try this new finger food method and help researchers understand how it can benefit elderly individuals in care settings.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Male or female residents over 75 years old living in a Accommodation facility for dependent elderly people for at least 3 months
• * Presenting at least one of the following 3 criteria:
• • Unintentional weight loss ≥ 5% in 1 month
• • Involuntary weight loss ≥ 10% in 6 months or compared to the usual weight or compared to the weight at entry to the EHPAD
• * Confirmed sarcopenia:
• * Male (at least one of the 2 criteria):
• • Dynamometer (kg): \< 27 AND calf circumference (cm): \< 31
• • Impedancemetry: appendicular muscle mass index \< 20 kg OR appendicular muscle mass index \< 7 kg/m²
• * Woman (at least one of the 2 criteria):
• • Dynamometer (kg): \< 16 AND calf circumference (cm): \< 31
• • Impedancemetry: appendicular muscle mass index \< 15 kg OR appendicular muscle mass index \< 5.5 kg/m²
• • Loss of autonomy according to the Tully scale \< 12/18 with a score of 2 or 3 on the item "Able to bite, chew, swallow without making false routes"
• • Person having given free, informed and express consent
• • Person having an affiliation to a social security scheme
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Protected person: safeguard of justice
• • Swallowing disorder having a contra-indication to the texture of hand-eating meals.
• • Lack of motor skills in both hands
• • Specific diet: pleasure diet, salt-free, sugar-free, fiber-free, artificial nutrition
• • Wearer of a pacemaker