Exploring the Effects of Social Media Use and Environmental Factors

External Eating: An Investigation of Social Media and Environmental Factors Influencing Eating Behaviours

In this protocol, the investigators propose a randomised controlled trail to explore the effects of environmental factors and the use of technology on eating behaviours. The investigators have planned two studies to investigate these effects, one on high school students from Raffles Institution, and the other on the university population in the National University of Singapore.

Participants will be told a cover story that the study explores technological distraction on taste, and asked to complete a taste-evaluation taste of common snacks. One group (intervention group) will be asked to use their personal smartphones to engage in their pre-existing Whatsapp chats while doing the taste test. For the two control conditions, one group will be tasked with reading a neutral article on their personal smartphones while they complete the taste test, while the other group will be asked to complete the taste test without any use of smartphones.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Normal weight: Body mass index of 18 to 25
• Have at least occasional breakfast meals (≥ 3 times a week of self-reported consumption of a breakfast meal)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Symptoms / history of any medical or psychiatric conditions
• Allergies to food products
• History of eating disorders
• Excessive exercise (≥ 5 times a week of self-reported exercise)
• Currently on a special diet or deliberating restricting caloric intake
• Currently on a weight loss program
• Smoking or substance abuse