MAnnER
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A feasibility study to Explore the Relationships between Modifiable influences and Anorexia of ageing.
IRAS ID
349347
Contact name
N J Cox
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Southampton
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 10 months, 1 days
Research summary
Undernourished older adults are more likely to fall ill and develop disability. Loss of appetite with ageing affects many older people and can result in some becoming undernourished. However, we understand very little about why this occurs. A better understanding of poor appetite with ageing is needed to develop treatments.
Appetite is influenced by many things, including physical and mental health, the body’s signalling pathways, and social connections. Appetite loss can also be experienced differently and does not always lead to weight loss. This makes studying it complicated. So, the first step is to decide the best way to measure everything together. However, older people are often excluded from research, as traditional ways to collect information can be burdensome, so different approaches are needed.
The study's main aim is to assess the practicality and tolerability of researching appetite in an older person’s own home. We also aim to explore factors related to poor appetite in ageing and assess the usefulness of a new questionnaire on experiences of appetite loss.
The study includes two home visits, six months apart, in people aged 70 or older. Prior to visits, participants will collect their stool and urine. During visits, a researcher will take blood, and complete questionnaires and physical assessments. We will measure recruitment, follow up and completion rates and ask about participant’s experience of taking part. The blood, urine and stool will be examined to look at the body’s signalling pathways and interaction with the gut microbes. We will investigate changes over six months and compare them to existing records on healthy older people in the Twins UK research cohort.
The findings will ensure future research on appetite is appropriate for older people to participate in. The results will also describe what happens over time to people with poor appetite and factors important to study further.
REC name
London - Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/PR/0021
Date of REC Opinion
21 Jan 2025
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion