Mathey 2001b.
| Methods |
Parallel randomised controlled clinical trial Randomisation ratio: 1:1 Superiority design |
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| Participants | 67 elderly care home residents; mean age intervention 84.6 (SD 6.1) years; control 83 (SD 5.5) years; 54 female: 13 male Inclusion criteria: > 65 years, resided in care home > 3 months and consuming cooked meal provided by care home kitchen at least 5 days/week Exclusion criteria: dementia, hospitalised, depression; in terminal phase; allergy to MSG Diagnostic criteria: not specified |
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| Interventions | Four flavour powders to enhance the cooked meal (chicken, beef, turkey or lemon) using 1 (+ 0.2) g flavour powder Number of trial centres: 1 Treatment before trial: not stated |
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| Outcomes | Outcomes reported in abstract of publication: body weight, energy intake and hunger | |
| Study details |
Run‐in period: one Was trial terminated early: no |
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| Publication details |
Language of publication: English Funding: commercial funding ‐ flavours donated by IFF BV; funding from Friesland Coberco Research and the Suikerstichting Publication status: peer review journal |
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| Stated aim for study | Quote from publication: "To determine whether the addition of flavour enhancers to the cooked meals over 16 weeks would lead to an increase in food consumption and thereby provide nutritional benefits to elderly nursing home residents" | |
| Notes | ‐ | |
| Risk of bias | ||
| Bias | Authors' judgement | Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) | Unclear risk |
Quote from paper: "subjects were randomly assigned to be in the control group ..or the flavour group.." Comment: insufficient detail of the method provided |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) | Unclear risk | Comment: not described |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Comment: not described |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes | Unclear risk | Comment: not described |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes | Low risk | Comment: all dropouts fully accounted for |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) | Low risk | Comment: all outcomes specified in the methods fully reported |
| Other bias | Low risk | Comment: baseline characteristics fully reported; control and intervention groups comparable at baseline |