3.5 Study 5.1
3.5 Study Design and Method
3.5.1 Study Design
The study will comprise a randomized, one month controlled trial where the participants will undergo a dietary intervention, which is a calorie restriction. Prior to the dietary intervention session, the participants’ physical parameters which are height, weight, body fat and Body Mass Index will be measured and calculated. Then, the participants will take the perceived stress and cognition tests. The primary scores and results are required for baseline reference of their final scores after the dietary intervention. The participants’ individual calorie intake will also be calculated by asking the participants type of food they usually take on a daily basis in order to determine the intended individual calorie intake during the trial session.
The participants will be trained to decrease their calorie intake aiming at a 30% reduction relative to previous habits, over a period of four weeks. In order to avoid cognitive changes due to malnutrition, the minimal intake is fixed to 1,200 kcal per day. The dietary consumption will be monitored …show more content…
The BMI will be calculated by dividing the weight in kilogram (kg) with squared height in meter squared (m2).
The perceived stress score will be measured by using the ten items Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) where six items will be considered negative and the remaining four will be considered positive. The five point Likert-type scale (0 = never to 4 = very often) will be used to rate each item of the PSS-10. The total scores will be calculated by summing up all the scores of negative items and the reversed scores of the positive items. The possible total scores for the PSS-10 will be within the range of 0 to 40 and a higher score will signify a greater stress level (Andreou et al.,
3.5.1 Study Design
The study will comprise a randomized, one month controlled trial where the participants will undergo a dietary intervention, which is a calorie restriction. Prior to the dietary intervention session, the participants’ physical parameters which are height, weight, body fat and Body Mass Index will be measured and calculated. Then, the participants will take the perceived stress and cognition tests. The primary scores and results are required for baseline reference of their final scores after the dietary intervention. The participants’ individual calorie intake will also be calculated by asking the participants type of food they usually take on a daily basis in order to determine the intended individual calorie intake during the trial session.
The participants will be trained to decrease their calorie intake aiming at a 30% reduction relative to previous habits, over a period of four weeks. In order to avoid cognitive changes due to malnutrition, the minimal intake is fixed to 1,200 kcal per day. The dietary consumption will be monitored …show more content…
The BMI will be calculated by dividing the weight in kilogram (kg) with squared height in meter squared (m2).
The perceived stress score will be measured by using the ten items Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) where six items will be considered negative and the remaining four will be considered positive. The five point Likert-type scale (0 = never to 4 = very often) will be used to rate each item of the PSS-10. The total scores will be calculated by summing up all the scores of negative items and the reversed scores of the positive items. The possible total scores for the PSS-10 will be within the range of 0 to 40 and a higher score will signify a greater stress level (Andreou et al.,