Eating whilst distracted: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of distraction on concurrent and later intake in adults

Gough, T, Mann, T, Ahmadyar, K, Finlay, I, Jones, A ORCID: 0000-0001-5951-889X, Tapper, K and Robinson, E (2026) Eating whilst distracted: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of distraction on concurrent and later intake in adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. ISSN 0002-9165

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Eating whilst distracted (e.g., TV watching, phone use) is believed to increase food intake. A previous small meta-analysis of experimental studies (published in American journal of clinical nutrition) supported this. Many studies have since been published, which calls for an updated analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To conduct an updated systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effect of distraction on concurrent and later intake. METHODS: Eligible articles (searching up to December 2024) were identified from: a previously conducted meta-analysis which included studies up until 2012; database searches from 2012-2024 (PsycINFO, Medline, PubMed); and both forward and backward citation searching. We followed PRISMA guidelines and conducted generic variance inverse meta-analyses with intake as the outcome variable for both concurrent and later intake.

RESULTS: Fifty eligible studies were included (40 measuring concurrent intake, 10 measuring later intake). Random effects meta-analyses revealed that the overall effect of distraction on concurrent intake was non-significant [SMD = .123, 95% CI (<-0.01 to 0.25), p = .051]. Moderator analyses revealed that type of distractor moderated the effect of distraction on eating, with passive distractor tasks (e.g., TV watching) resulting in greater food intake when distracted [SMD = .272, 95% CI (.128 to .417)], whereas physically demanding distractors [SMD = -.139, 95% CI (-.334 to .057)] and cognitively demanding distractors [SMD = .202, 95% CI (-.028 to .432)] did not. The effect of distraction on later intake was statistically significant, such that eating whilst distracted led to greater intake at a subsequent eating episode [SMD = .419, 95% CI (.195 to .642)].

CONCLUSION: Distracted eating increases later intake, however the effect of distracted eating on concurrent intake is less consistent and only relatively passive distractors may increase energy intake. Collectively, these findings highlight the impact of distracted eating on food intake as a potential contributor to overeating. Registry and registry number for systematic reviews or meta-analyses. This systematic review and meta-analysis was registered on PROSPERO (CRD42024518245).

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	appetite; attention; distraction; food intake; obesity; 09 Engineering; 11 Medical and Health Sciences; Nutrition & Dietetics; 3202 Clinical sciences; 3210 Nutrition and dietetics
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
Divisions:	Psychology (from Sep 2019)
Publisher:	Elsevier
Date of acceptance:	9 April 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	21 April 2026
Date Deposited:	21 Apr 2026 13:56
Last Modified:	21 Apr 2026 13:56
DOI or ID number:	10.1016/j.ajcnut.2026.101315
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28416

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