Samenvatting

Overweight is associated with a range of negative health consequences, such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and premature mortality. One means to combat overweight is through encouraging people to eat more slowly. People who eat quickly tend to consume more and have a higher body mass index, whereas people who eat more slowly feel satiated sooner and eat less. Unfortunately, eating rate is difficult to modify, because of its highly automatic nature. In clinical settings, researchers have had some success changing behavior by using devices that deliver feedback in real time. However, existing technologies are either too cumbersome or not engaging enough for use in daily life contexts. Training people to eat more slowly in everyday eating contexts, therefore, requires creative and engaging solutions. This article presents a qualitative evaluation of the feasibility of a smart fork to decelerate
eating rate in daily life contexts. Furthermore, we outline the planned research to test the efficacy of this device in both laboratory and community settings.