Visual contrast enhances food and liquid intake in advanced Alzheimer's disease.
OBJECTIVE
Patients with severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) in long-term care have deficient contrast sensitivity and poor food and liquid intake. The present study examined how contrast manipulations affect these intake levels.


METHODS
Participants were nine men with advanced AD. Independent variables were meal type (lunch and supper) and condition (baseline, intervention, and post-intervention). Dependent variables were amount of food (grams) and liquid (ounces). Data were collected for 30 days (10 days per condition) for two meals per day. White tableware was used for the baseline and post-intervention conditions, and high-contrast red tableware for the intervention condition. In a follow-up study 1 year later, other contrast conditions were examined (high-contrast blue, low-contrast red and low-contrast blue).


RESULTS
Mean percent increase was 25% for food and 84% for liquid for the high-contrast intervention (red) versus baseline (white) condition, with 8 of 9 participants exhibiting increased intake. In the follow-up study, the high-contrast intervention (blue) resulted in significant increases in food and liquid intake; the low-contrast red and low-contrast blue interventions were ineffectual.


CONCLUSIONS
Simple environmental manipulations, such as contrast enhancement, can significantly increase food and liquid intake in frail demented patients with AD.
Department of Psychology, Boston University, 648 Beacon St., 2nd floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Tracy E
TE
Dunne
Sandy A
SA
Neargarder
P B
PB
Cipolloni
Alice
A
Cronin-Golomb
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003116:Color; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004326:Drinking / Q000502:physiology; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies