Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations 5-2012 Sources of Variance in Bite Count Jenna Scisco Clemson University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Part of the Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Scisco, Jenna, "Sources of Variance in Bite Count" (2012). All Dissertations. 914. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/914 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. SOURCES OF VARIANCE IN BITE COUNT A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Human Factors Psychology by Jenna Lori Scisco May 2012 Accepted by: Dr. Eric R. Muth, Committee Chair Dr. Thomas R. Alley Dr. Adam W. Hoover Dr. Patrick J. Rosopa ABSTRACT The obesity epidemic affects millions of individuals worldwide. New tools that simplify efforts to self-monitor energy intake may enable successful weight loss and weight maintenance. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of the number of bites recorded by the bite counter device during daily meals in natural, real world settings. Participants (N = 83) used bite counters to record daily meals for two weeks. Participants also recorded their daily dietary intake using automated, computer-based 24- hour recalls. Predictors of bite count were explored at the meal-level and individual-level using multilevel linear modeling. A positive relationship between kilocalories and bites was moderated by energy density such that participants took more bites to consume greater kilocalorie meals when energy density was low than when energy density was high.