Social norms and young adults' self-reported meat and plant-based meal intake: Findings from two online cross-sectional studies.

Plant-based eating is beneficial for human and planetary health. It is important to identify factors which may encourage people to reduce meat, and increase plant-based meal intake. Perceived social norms are associated with meat and plant-based meal intake in adults, however, less is known about the relationship between perceived social norms and young adults' own self-reported meat and plant-based eating in general, and in different social contexts.

Music as an alternative self-regulation strategy to snack foods following a negative mood induction in 5-7-year-old children: Interactions with parental use of food as a reward.

This study aimed to extend studies that have looked at snack food consumption following a negative mood induction, and examine whether listening to a happy song would counteract these effects in children. A second aim was to examine whether parental feeding practices (use of food as a reward and the use of food to regulate emotions) and child Body Mass Index (BMI) would moderate any differences. Eighty 5-7-year-old children took part in a negative mood induction and were then assigned to either a happy music condition or a silent control condition.

How multiple threats to safety affects quality of life for picky eating adults: A new explanatory model.

Picky eating describes a pattern of eating characterised by a narrow dietary range with rejection of both novel and familiar foods. Research has suggested that picky eating in adulthood is associated with several negative psychosocial outcomes including impaired quality of life. This research aimed to build and test a model explaining the relationship between picky eating and quality of life.

Phase Ib study of eltrombopag and azacitidine in patients with high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes and related disorders (the ELASTIC study).

Treating adverse risk myelodysplastic syndromes with azacitidine exacerbates thrombocytopenia. We report a study of eltrombopag in combination with azacitidine using a 3 + 3 cohort design. Patients with baseline platelets of <150 × 10 /l received eltrombopag ranging from 25 to 300 mg.

The lived experience of parenting a child with sensory sensitivity and picky eating.

"Picky eating" is a common behaviour seen in childhood in both clinical and nonclinical populations. Sensory processing difficulties have been repeatedly associated with food refusal and picky eating behaviours. The aim of this study was to explore the lived experiences of parents/caregivers who have a child displaying both sensory processing differences and picky eating behaviours utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA).

Are music listening strategies associated with reduced food consumption following negative mood inductions; a series of three exploratory experimental studies.

Emotions play an important role in overeating, yet there is little research looking at practical strategies to reduce overeating in response to a negative mood. In three different experimental studies, we tested if exposure to music can reduce food consumption in a negative mood. Female undergraduates (N = 120-121 in each study) completed a measure of emotional eating and reported baseline hunger.

The influence of experimental confederate peers on children's food intake: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Confederates influence eating behaviour. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have been conducted on this topic, however, the majority have examined adults, or a combination of adults and children, therefore, an up-to-date meta-analysis is needed to examine the impact of confederate peers on children's food intake. We systematically reviewed and meta-analysed the influence of confederate peers on children's food intake in research using present and remote-confederates.

Food neophobia and the evaluation of novel foods in adults; the sensory, emotional, association (SEA) model of the decision to taste a novel food.

Reluctance to eat new foods, known as food neophobia, is well researched in children but not adults. Two studies were carried out to understand the emotional, sensory, and cognitive factors associated with food neophobia in an adult sample, and to propose a preliminary explanation of the decision to taste a novel food named the SEA model (Sensory, Emotional, cognitive Association model). Participants were recruited through opportunity sampling of a university population in the Leicester region of the UK.

The role of perceived descriptive and injunctive norms on the self-reported frequency of meat and plant-based meal intake in UK-based adults.

Perceived social norms refer to beliefs that people hold about what other people do (descriptive norms) and approve of (injunctive norms), and are associated with food intake. However, less is known about whether perceived social norms are associated with meat and plant-based meal intake. Using a cross-sectional survey design 136 participants (aged 19-66 years, mean age = 39.

Eating in the lockdown during the Covid 19 pandemic; self-reported changes in eating behaviour, and associations with BMI, eating style, coping and health anxiety.

The global coronavirus pandemic (Covid 19) resulted in national lockdowns where individuals were asked to isolate in their homes to stop the spread of the disease. Using a cross-sectional survey, the current paper aimed to examine self-reported changes in eating patterns and behaviour during the lockdown in the UK, and associations with BMI, demographic variables, eating styles, health anxiety, food insecurity and coping strategies. Participants (N = 620) were recruited online through social media advertising.

Manipulating molecules with strong coupling: harvesting triplet excitons in organic exciton microcavities.

Exciton-polaritons are quasiparticles with mixed photon and exciton character that demonstrate rich quantum phenomena, novel optoelectronic devices and the potential to modify chemical properties of materials. Organic materials are of current interest as active materials for their ability to sustain exciton-polaritons even at room temperature. However, within organic optoelectronic devices, it is often the 'dark' spin-1 triplet excitons that dominate operation.

A hybrid organic-inorganic polariton LED.

Polaritons are quasi-particles composed of a superposition of excitons and photons that can be created within a strongly coupled optical microcavity. Here, we describe a structure in which a strongly coupled microcavity containing an organic semiconductor is coupled to a second microcavity containing a series of weakly coupled inorganic quantum wells. We show that optical hybridisation occurs between the optical modes of the two cavities, creating a delocalised polaritonic state.

Using repeated visual exposure, rewards and modelling in a mobile application to increase vegetable acceptance in children.

Children are not consuming the recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables. Repeated visual exposure, modelling, and rewards have been shown to be effective at increasing vegetable acceptance in young children. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an evidence-based mobile application (Vegetable Maths Masters) which builds on these principles to increase children's liking and acceptance of vegetables.

"It's always on the safe list": Investigating experiential accounts of picky eating adults.

Previous research into severely restricted eating for reasons which are not cultural, medical, due to a lack of food or due to concerns about body image has focused predominantly on "picky/fussy eating" in children. Despite evidence that picky eating does continue into adulthood and recognition in the new diagnostic category Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) that problematically avoidant and restrictive patterns of eating affect people across the lifespan, relatively little is known about the challenges and consequences faced by older adolescents and adults. This research employs qualitative methods to explore the experience of living as an adult with picky eating behaviours.

Evaluation of a pilot sensory play intervention to increase fruit acceptance in preschool children.

Recent research has found an association between dislike of messy play and higher levels of food neophobia in children. The aim of the present study was to pilot and assess a five week intervention with preschool children, to examine whether engagement in tactile sensory tasks leads to increased fruit acceptance. Interventions were carried out to examine whether weekly sessions of sensory play combined with fruit exposure, would increase acceptance and enjoyment of fruits to a greater extent than two non-sensory play conditions featuring fruit exposure or normal play activities alone.

Self-Disgust within Eating Disordered Groups: Associations with Anxiety, Disgust Sensitivity and Sensory Processing.

This study aimed to assess the relationship between self-disgust and sensory processing within eating psychopathology. Five hundred and ninety-one women with a self-reported diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or who had no previous history of an eating disorder completed a battery of online questionnaires measuring disgust, emotion and sensory variables. Those with an eating disorder reported significantly higher rates of self-disgust than those with no history of disordered eating.

Play with your food! Sensory play is associated with tasting of fruits and vegetables in preschool children.

The objective of the current study was to ascertain whether taking part in a sensory play activity with real fruits and vegetables (FV) can encourage tasting in preschool children, compared to a non-food activity or visual exposure to the activity. Three to four year old pre-school children (N = 62) were recruited from three preschool nursery classes from a school in Northamptonshire, UK. A between participants experimental study was conducted with each class assigned to one of three conditions; sensory FV play, sensory non-food play and visual FV exposure.

Early Eating Behaviours and Food Acceptance Revisited: Breastfeeding and Introduction of Complementary Foods as Predictive of Food Acceptance.

Current dietary advice for children is that they should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day (Department of Health. National Diet and Nutrition Survey, 2014). However, many parents report that children are reluctant to eat vegetables and often fail to comply with the five-a-day rule.

Sensory evaluation of a novel vegetable in school age children.

A behavioural sensory task was undertaken to further understanding into whether children's sensory evaluation of a new vegetable is associated with tasting and food neophobia scores. A sample of ninety-five children, aged 7-11 years, was recruited from a primary school in inner city Birmingham, UK. They were asked to rate the sight, smell and feel of a familiar vegetable (carrot) and an unfamiliar vegetable (celeriac) in a randomised order to control for order effects.

Association between tactile over-responsivity and vegetable consumption early in the introduction of solid foods and its variation with age.

The main aim of the current study was to test the hypothesis that early reactions to a vegetable in infants may be associated with sensory processing, in particular, tactile over-responsivity. A secondary aim was to see whether the relationship between sensory over-responsivity and vegetable consumption would be moderated by the age of the infant. A sample of 61 infants was recruited from children's centres and playgroups in South Birmingham, UK.

Food neophobia and enjoyment of tactile play: Associations between preschool children and their parents.

A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine whether the relationship between enjoyment of tactile play and food neophobia observed in children (Coulthard & Thakker, 2015) would be related to levels seen in their parents. One hundred and twenty six participants were recruited from playgroup centres in the Walsall area of the West Midlands, UK; 63 children (2-5 years; 30 girls and 33 boys) and 63 attendant parents (53 mothers and 10 fathers). Children and their parents' enjoyment of a tactile play task was rated by both the parent and a researcher, and questionnaire measures of food neophobia and tactile sensitivity were completed by the parent for both themselves and their children.

Enjoyment of tactile play is associated with lower food neophobia in preschool children.

Previous research has shown that parental reports of food neophobia and tactile sensitivity are associated with lower fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake in children. This study aimed to pilot a behavioral observation measure of tactile play in young children. The primary aim of the study was to see whether children's enjoyment of tactile play was associated with higher F/V consumption, as well as lower food neophobia.

Exposure to vegetable variety in infants weaned at different ages.

The aim of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of different vegetable exposure methods (variety versus single taste) over a 9 day period in two groups of infants; those introduced to solids prior to the age of 5.5 months, and those introduced after 5.5 months.

Relationships between sensory sensitivity, anxiety and selective eating in children.

The present study examines whether parental reports of child selective eating are associated with child anxiety and sensitivity to sensory stimuli in their environment. Parents of 95 children aged 5-10 completed questionnaires about child eating behavior, child anxiety and sensory sensitivity. Results indicated that both anxiety and sensory sensitivity were associated with selective eating.