1. Introduction
automaticity, obesity, malnutrition
OBESITY, SECONDARY, DISEASES, MALNUTRITION
These authors contributed equally to this work.An ageing population presents significant nutritional challenges, particularly for partially dentate adults. This two-armed pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) compared habit formation (automaticity) for healthy eating behaviours between control and intervention groups after participation in a habit-based dietary intervention for older adults, following oral rehabilitation in the United Kingdom (UK). The ageing population in the United Kingdom (UK) presents significant nutritional challenges, where vulnerabilities to obesity, malnutrition and age related diseases are exacerbated by impaired dental and oral health status [Systematic review evidence suggests that the compelling issue of behaviour change maintenance within dietary interventions is not receiving the attention that it is due, yet sustained behaviours are vital if they are to produce meaningful changes in relevant health outcomes [Indeed, humans have been shown to automatically make over 200 food decisions each day, making it particularly interesting to investigate whether habit formation can facilitate healthful, sustained dietary behaviours [There have been a number of studies to date which have primarily employed a habit formation approach to achieving positive dietary changes in a range of different population groups [The aim of this pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) was to compare habit strength for three novel dietary behaviours (i.e., increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables (FV); increasing wholegrains; and, increasing healthy proteins) following a tailored, habit-based dietary intervention (versus control group) with older adults who had recently undergone oral rehabilitation. Changes to nutrient intakes (such as protein and fibre) were also examined as secondary outcomes (in 