Facilitating Effective Eating With DoddleBags: A Single-Arm Acceptability Study Of DoddleBags to Assess Impact on Self Feeding Behaviours in a Huntington's Disease Population

Inclusion Criteria9

• Aged 18 or over at the time of recruitment.
• Genetic confirmation of the HD gene expansion, defined as a CAG repeat length of ≥40 CAG repeats on the long allele.
• Chorea, uncontrollable bodily movements, to the extent that it, in the opinion of the participant, inhibits normal or typical use of an eating utensil such as a fork or spoon.
• AND/OR Cognitive issues that make it impractical for the participant to engage in self-feeding behaviours in a safe and effective manner, perhaps but not necessarily requiring the input of a carer or companion to feed the participant.
• The presence of a pre-existing neurological or movement disorder that could mimic, mask, or otherwise occlude the symptoms of Huntington's Disease.
• Current use of DoddleBags as a feeding aid outside of this research.
• Ability to regularly self-feed in a safe and effective manner rendering the integration of DoddleBags into one's lifestyle moot.
• Use of a mandated/recommended diet that would be incompatible with DoddleBags, such as mandated use of non-pureed or non-soft foods.
• Inability or unwillingness to engage with any specific aspects of the research, including completion of the food diaries, interviews or questionnaires, as well as being unable to provide informed consent.